Neo Generation V
by BlackEcho17
Summary: Story Discontinued, incompleted. Please read profile page for details.
1. The Last Week

I own nothing, other than my original characters

I own nothing, other than my original characters. The characters in this fan fiction are fictional. Any similarities to any person are merely a coincidence. No animals were injured in the making of this fan fiction, other than my cat, in which her tail was injured on my way to the bathroom.

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"Lucario, _Aura Sphere_!" When he looked up, he saw a bright blue sphere of pure energy head towards the two of them. The attack struck the ground between the two, the explosion from the impact blowing them back in separate directions.

"Gah!" The young man cried out in pain, crashing into the ground ten feet back, skidding another five, only inches away from the cliff.

_Damn it… It can't end this way… can it? _

High up on a mountain path, a young man was struggling for survival. After four months of adventure, he was finally about to meet his end.

_After going through so much, after getting this far… It's just going to stop? _

Standing before him was an opponent that he could never hope to defeat. And this opponent was looking for more than blood.

_Everyone that's depending on me… I'm going to keep them waiting forever!? _

Facing forward meant certain death, and running away was impossible. The only thing this young man could do was simply accept his fate…

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 1: The Last Week, The Story Unfolds!

(Four months earlier…)

"Damn it… I'm gonna be late!" the figure went rushing out the door of the small hut, rushing past a sleeping red lizard, nearly stepping on his tail and catching fire.

"Char…" The lizard mumbled at the noise, and was peaceful again. There was nothing like waking up, eating breakfast with your roommate, and then taking a nap in the crisp, cool morning air.

"Seeya later, Czar!" The young man yelled out from a distance. Looking up at the clock tower near the area, he panicked.

"Agh! School's twenty minutes away, and I've got ten minutes to get there! HYPER SPEED!!!" The young man nearly doubled in speed, only a blur to the residents of the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, five minutes later, the young man was down on his knees, panting and wheezing from exhaustion.

"Half…way… there…" He muttered out. Standing back up, he broke out into another run, hardly as fast as earlier. Ten minutes after that, he arrived at the front entrance at the school.

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The builders spared no expense in making this place look modest. One of the largest facilities in the Kanto Region, the Pallet City Pokemon Academy was certainly a necessary facility. In order to receive a Pokemon Trainer's license, one must graduate from a facility like this one. Before this system was set up, many trainers would go out adventuring into the wild, only to be killed or injured due to inexperience or lack of knowledge. Thus, after one has completed basic elementary school, they can enroll in the academy.

"Three years of hell… And I've only got a week left," He said proudly, slowly walking up the steps and towards the glass doors. He was already late, so why rush? Pushing out his black book bag with the letters "PCPA" in bold red letters on it, he straightened out his bright red t-shirt, wrinkled from running with the bag on. He then tucked in his shirt into the blue jeans which had a colorful variety of stains on it. The young man then used his fingernails to comb his short, brown hair, and decided he looked presentable enough to receive a detention. Vincent "Vinny" Elias had a bright smile on his face, unconcerned about the consequences of his being late. As he walked into the school, his dark orange eyes scanned the entrance lobby for any signs of his teacher. Instead, he found another student, looking at his watch.

"Yo, Vin!" He cried out. He walked closer towards Vinny, making the size between them apparent. Compared to Vinny's 5'9" height, Thomas Cane had a good five inches on him. Thomas was a rather thin young man, at seventeen he was three years older than Vinny. He wore a white shirt and sweatpants, contrasting his long black hair. His reddish-brown eyes seemed to wash away any discontent from others. Thomas was more carefree than anyone else in the school, placing Vinny a close second. The difference between the two was that Thomas would be the first person to volunteer for any charitable task, having over 200 hours of community service for the school, whereas Vinny had the minimum requirement of 40.

"Helping old ladies across the street again?" Vinny answered with a playful tone. The two often considered themselves rivals, yet both were too carefree to actually be competitive.

"Nah," Thomas shook his head. "Actually, I was helping old man Miller load his truck up. He's moving to Pewter City, you know." Vinny nodded, realizing that his dirty red truck wasn't in the driveway when he ran past it this morning.

Vinny chuckled to himself, and said, "Your dedication to the elderly and the helpless is an inspiration to students everywhere, Thomas," The two then broke out in laughter, and then they heard footsteps coming down towards them.

"Having a pleasant conversation when you should be in class, are we?" an elderly man with bushy gray eyebrows and only half of his hair left cried out. Mr. Levid wore his gray suit and a plain red tie, always the professional man. By nature he was strict, uptight, and generally an indecent person. And he happened to be the young mens' teacher. "Ah, Mr. Cane and Mr. Elias, why am I not surprised to find you two are dawdling in the hallways while I go deliver the attendance report to the office, hmm?" Thomas gave a warm smile, and patted Vinny on the shoulder.

"Well, Vinny and I went to help out Mr. Miller move. We offered to load up his truck, and lost track of time!" Even when lying, Thomas never changed his smile. "I talked to the dean earlier, and he gave us the okay to be a little late for class. I'm sorry we didn't inform you earlier, Mr. Levid," He gave a slight bow of apology, and Vinny quickly did the same.

"You talked to the dean, hmm?" Levid repeated, skeptical. Normally he'd ask to dean to confirm it, but doing so would be accusing his sweet and reliable nephew of lying. Vinny figured that was one of the few perks about having the dean as an uncle. Dr. Cane was indeed unpleasant to be around when confrontation occurred. "Well, I guess I can't argue with that. Just go down to the classroom and be in your seat by the time I get back!"

"Yessir!"

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Vinny and Thomas's classroom had 23 students in it, and room for 50. There was plenty of space in between seats, and Mr. Levid liked to keep it that way. Taking his seat in the fourth row, Vinny kicked back, and watched Thomas go to his seat in the middle front row.

"Look who decided to show up!" A voice to Vinny's left came out. He looked over to see a bulky six-foot tall young man with bright green eyes and short blond hair. He wore a baggy green shirt and khaki pants that covered his muscles, and though this young man had quite an intimidating presence, once you got closer, you'd realize that there was a rather gentle aura coming from him.

"Yep, Czar and I spent most of the night playing cards," Vinny replied with a smile. Derek Pierce was his closest friend, since three years ago when he first came to Pallet City. Derek was never planning on enrolling in the academy, and though he was a year older than Vinny, the two entered and were accepted together. "He kept winning, so he didn't get mad this time!"

"You were getting beat by a lizard?" Derek asked, showing a hint of a smile. This was about as much as Derek could insult someone. Vinny shrugged, and gave a smile of his own.

"What can I say?" Vinny replied. "He was on fire! Literally…" It was then that Mr. Levid walked back into the classroom.

"ATTENTION!!!" He boomed, and as if the entire classroom shook, everyone was silent and paid attention to the front. Mr. Levid may have been a disagreeable man, but he certainly had crowd control capabilities. "As you know, we have only one week left until the graduation exam begins. That's not much time left to study for, and I don't like repeating myself, and I've already told you the information. So, I'm just going to tell you about the test now.

"The Graduation Exam will be seven days long, and the first three will have a different exam. The first exam will be the written part. In this part, you have to score an eighty or higher on this exam. You'll have three hours to take it, and then another hour to complete a survey. This survey will reflect upon our decision for your appropriate starter Pokemon." He paused for a few seconds, looking around the classroom. Everyone seemed to understand, and he couldn't care less about the idiots who didn't.

"On the second day, you will receive your starter Pokemon the first thing in the morning. You will then be given a single Pokeball. Not only will you have to bond with your starter Pokemon, but you will also have to capture another Pokemon in the wild. The area we have selected for you has only mildly strong Pokemon, so you don't have to worry about going up against Pokemon you can't beat." Taking another pause, he realized that a few of the students were looking a little nervous now.

"On the third day, each student will have to face another in a Pokemon battle. Meaning, half of you will fail this section, and half of you will succeed. However, our facility isn't so cruel that we intend to fail half the students each year. After all, failing means you get to stick around here for another year, and quite frankly I'd rather not see any of you again." There was dead silence in the classroom, as the class wasn't sure if Levid was joking or not. "Of the three exams, you need to complete two of them. This is because this exam is meant to flesh out the weaknesses of each trainer, so that when you go out on your journey, you will know exactly what to improve upon."

"On the fourth day, you will come here to see the results of the test you would have taken on the first day. The fifth and sixth days will either be days of celebration, or days of mourning, depending on whether you pass or fail. On the seventh day, the graduation ceremony will take place, and you'll receive your licenses and become fully official Trainers." Now some of the students were breaking a cold sweat, and it was time he decided to quit it with the terror stories.

"Anyways, I will be splitting the class up into different groups," He said. "Three groups of six and one group of five. Each group will have a proctor in the exam. You'll be introduced to them on the second day of the exam. Also, these groups will count as study groups for your independent studies. I'll split you all up after lunch. Until then, I'm going to pass out these practice tests I have…" The class simultaneously groaned, and knew they were in for a long morning.

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To make a long story short, Vinny came into Pallet City weak and weary, courtesy of hunger and thirst. Derek and his father, Jonathan, nursed him back to health. Vinny had no idea where he came from, only remembering his name. After living at Derek's house for a month, Vinny decided to find a place of his own. On this search, he drove away a few thugs picking on the school mascot, Czar. Czar was a wild Charmander whose caretaker was captured by a poacher. Czar was taken in by the school, and they built a small shack on the outskirts of the neighborhood. In gratitude, the dean allowed him entry into the Academy, and Czar and Vinny became roommates. So, in the month after he arrived in Pallet City, he enrolled in the Academy, and three years later, he was nearly done. Only three people knew this of Vinny in Pallet City, and Ronald Friese was one of them.

"Are you nervous about the exam?" Ronald Friese asked. Ronald was a petit fellow, only five feet tall and weighing less than a hundred pounds, despite being 14 years old. Ronald had pure white hair, spiky on his head, and leading to a ponytail down to the bottom of his neck. His eyes were crystal blue, and he wore a dress shirt and tan dress pants. Vinny and Ronald were outside the school, both skipping the school meal for a chance to be outside for twenty minutes. With over 3,000 students in the Academy, there were five different lunches for the students.

Oddly enough, Ronald Friese wasn't ever bullied around, despite his small size. He had a habit for taking down anyone who provoked him, no matter how big they were. Ronald had a deceptively strong build for his size, and he knew how to use it. Vinny didn't have any of his friends on the fifth lunch, but he quickly befriended Ronald. Actually, Ronald befriended him, a strange differentiation from his normal behavior, since he avoided most people and vice versa. But Ronald could see a story in Vinny's eyes, and Ronald enjoyed listening to stories.

"A little, but it's not bothering me too much." Vinny replied. Vinny had a much different relationship with Ronald than he did with any of his other friends. Ronald was an intellectual and a philosopher, and he also lacked a sense of humor. Instead of being goofy with him, Vinny talked seriously with Ronald. Vinny realized that Ronald was an excellent person to talk to when you were ever in trouble or feeling down. In just a week after they met, Vinny ended up telling Ronald how he arrived in Pallet City; a secret only two other students were aware of.

"Actually, I'm looking forward to it!" He said, his voice holding back a hint of excitement. "I may not be so great on the written part, but I think I can rely on my battling skills!" Though his tactics and abilities in battle were average at best, Vinny had a strange habit of pulling a victory off. "Enough about me, how do you think you'll do?" Ronald's eye twitched and Vinny realized that he just set him off.

"Remember whom you're talking to," He replied quietly, but harshly. Ronald was ranked first in battle tactics and simulation, and second highest as far as textbook knowledge went. Vinny had a feeling that Ronald would pass all three exams with relative ease.

"The only thing I'm nervous about is what kind of starter Pokemon I'll get. Think they'll allow me to have Czar?" Ronald shook his head at the idea.

"Czar is a school mascot, and not a Pokemon selected for a Trainer. Domesticated Pokemon are too soft for training, anyway. It would be best for you and for Czar if you received a starter Pokemon meant for Training." Vinny nodded, and looked down at the ground.

"So you think we'll be paired up together in a group?" Vinny asked, changing the subject. Ronald looked at his shiny silver watch, and then looked back up to Vinny.

"We're about to find out. Lunch is almost over."

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"I hope everyone enjoyed their lunch," Levin said, killing out any noise that was going on in the classroom. He held up a piece of paper with four lists on it. "I have here is what I believe is the best decision for the groups. I was told by the Dean himself to group up classmates based on their relationships with each other. Thus, please note that this isn't a final act of kindness coming from my heart," Once again, the class was unsure whether humor was intended or not. "If you don't know all your teammates, I suggest you get to know them quite well, before the exam begins."

"Now for the first group... Would Allison Black please stand up?" A girl from across the room then stood up. Allison Black had bright red hair, split in the middle, tied off on both sides. She was 5'3" and wore a bright red tank top and matching red skirt. Her eyes were a bright emerald green, her bangs split apart to show them off. Vinny didn't know her too well, but she was more of a friend of a friend. Vinny knew that her father was the owner of a large company and that her mother was a powerful politician. Yet, despite her spoiled upbringing, she was taught to be polite, gentle, and considerate to others. Often these traits were mistaken for timidity.

"Why did I have to be picked first…" She muttered to herself, not liking the attention.

"Next is Thomas Cane." Thomas, sitting one row in front of Allison, stood up and nodded to her.

"Hey, looks like I'm grouped with you!" He said casually. "I think I see where this is going…"

"Thirdly, is… Vincent Elias…" No matter what, Levid had a hard time saying his name without disdain. Vinny stood up, and waved to Thomas and Allison.

"Yep, I definitely see where this is going!" Thomas added.

"Fourth member is… Ronald Friese…" Ronald, three rows ahead of Vinny, stood up silently, and gave a slight smirk to Vinny. Fearing his face would crack, he shifted his lips to a slight frown.

"Derek Pierce is next," Levid muttered. Derek wasn't a student he had a problem with, but Vinny and Derek together often resulted in problems. Derek stood up and gave a nod to the four others. He wasn't one to talk in class.

"And lastly… Kelsey Richton." Vinny heard someone stand up two rows behind him, and a girl wearing a baggy faded pink hooded sweatshirt, a clean pair of blue jeans looked around, yawning. Kelsey was the only student allowed to be half asleep in Levid's class, mostly because she could answer any question given to her while half asleep. She had deep, dark brown eyes and long, dark brown hair that practically shone. Kelsey was one of Vinny's friends, and also best friends with Allison. Though normally Vinny and Kelsey's personalities wouldn't get along, through special circumstances, they managed to become friends, for she was the third person that knew about Vinny's arrival.

Levid wanted to shake his head and disapprove of this group, but even he had to realize that this group balanced itself out. He just didn't feel comfortable about this combination.

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At the end of the day, the six of them merely stood around in a circle at the front of the Academy, none of them knew what to say. Vinny was twiddling his thumbs, not wanting to speak out. He didn't really like playing a leader role. Thomas simply kept a smile on, yet didn't want to speak out, either. Allison simply looked down at the ground between everyone, holding her arms behind her back. Kelsey felt that she didn't need to study too hard, but knew that others would need help with their studies. Ronald, on the other hand, disliked participating in groups and felt that this would all be a waste of time.

"Sooooooo…" Derek finally broke the silence. "You guys want to go out and grab a burger or something? There's a fast food place nearby… We can talk there,"

"I don't eat fast food," Ronald stated. "It's unhealthy, and I can't take grease well."

"And I don't eat meat…" Allison added.

"You can order a salad…" Kelsey replied, looking at Allison. She turned to Ronald. "And I'm sure you can deal with it," Ronald looked back at Kelsey, already annoyed. Thomas decided to step in before any blood could be shed.

"Hmm… Wait, we all have our practice tests, right?" Thomas suddenly changed the subject.

"Yeah…" Allison said.

"I don't need them, so I threw them away," Ronald replied.

"I have 'em…" Derek muttered.

"I brought them along with me," Kelsey stated.

"Wait… we were supposed to keep those?" Guess who.

The other five slapped themselves in the forehead. Somehow, getting into the groove would take awhile…

"You know…" Thomas cut in. "For this group, I think it's already set in stone on who's gonna pass and who's gonna fail the written test." The rest nodded grudgingly in agreement. "So why not just skip the studying for now and practice our battle skills at the VPA?"

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"Machop, use _Mega Punch_!" Vinny yelled out. The simulated fighting type ran in towards the enemy Pokemon.

"Froslass, take the hit!" Ronald replied. Machop shot its fist straight into Froslass, and right through. "Normal type attacks like _Mega Punch_ don't affect Ghost types like Froslass! Now, use _Shadow Ball_!" The Ice and Ghost Pokemon gathered together a sphere a dark energy, and shot it right into Machop's gut. The Fighting type Pokemon was KO'd in one hit. Both virtual Pokemon then faded away, and Vinny had one more defeat on his hands.

"That makes four," Ronald said, staring at Vinny. "Would you like to try for best five out of nine?" Vinny shook his head, amazed at how his friend was so strong.

"No, I think I'm done losing to you now…" He replied. "But damn… I never knew you were so good at this!" Ronald merely pointed towards the leader board on the giant screen on the wall. It showed the top ten players in the building.

"I purposefully keep myself at the eleventh rank to make sure my name or face doesn't come up. I'm sure you could expect me to be much better than that, though. I like my privacy, that's all."

Vinny nodded, and sighed. "I wish I knew that before I challenged you…" He muttered.

The VPA, or Virtual Pokemon Arcade, was all the rage for those who either couldn't become Pokemon Trainers, or chose not to become one. The latest holographic technology was put in here so every citizen could enjoy the thrill of Battling. What's more, it also inspired the younger crowd to become Pokemon Trainers, which meant more money for the Pokemon League. In order to play the game, you had to have a Scanner Card, each card showing an individual Pokemon. There were many cards of the same Pokemon, each one with different stats or techniques. What's more, the Scanner Card detects each victory, eventually making that card stronger. In a sense, it was the closest thing to actually raising a Pokemon.

"Anyways, I'm leaving," Ronald then said, looking at his watch. "It's getting boring here, and I'm going to go to bed soon. Seeya." He walked away, and Vinny waved goodbye. He then checked the clock, noticing it was a little after six. It was then that Derek, Kelsey, and Allison walked up behind Vinny.

"How'd it go?" Derek asked suddenly, startling Vinny for a second. "And where did Ronald go?"

"The baby left to go take a nap…" He answered with a hint of spite in his voice.

"That seemed more bitter than usual," Kelsey remarked. "He beat you that badly?" Vinny gave her his best death glare, but she remained unfazed.

"If only I had heat vision…" He muttered under his breath, then said, "Yeah, four times…" This raised an eyebrow from the three, for they had only been at the VPA for less than twenty minutes.

"No wonder he seemed so bored…" Kelsey replied. "I came over here to challenge you, but seeing as you're so weak today, well…"

"I accept!" Vinny practically shouted. "Even if I couldn't beat Ronald, I think I'll settle for you!" The two glared at each other for a bit, then took their places in the arena. Derek and Allison took to the sidelines.

"Hmm… Vinny fell straight into Kelsey's trap, and then Vinny just set up a trap of his own…" Derek muttered.

"Her pride will be the death of her one day…" She replied, shaking her head at her best friend.

"Even so, twenty bucks on Kelsey."

"Fifty."

Vinny and Kelsey stood in front of a bright white podium, with a card slot on the center. They each swiped a card in through it, and the podiums began to register the cards. On Vinny's side, a Machop emerged. On Kelsey's a Lapras. The size difference between the two was obvious, but Vinny had the type advantage.

"Machop is the only card Vinny has, and Kelsey knows this," Derek commented. "Is it a handicap, or does she have something planned?"

"Have you ever seen Kelsey show restraint before?" Allison responded, answering Derek's question.

"Machop, use _Dynamic Punch_!" Vinny yelled out. The virtual Fighting type's fist shone a bright white, and it charged straight for the Water and Ice type.

"A direct attack as usual…" Derek muttered.

"Lapras, _Mist_ attack!" Kelsey cried out. The large Pokemon opened up its mouth, and a fine white mist surrounded the two Pokemon, but it wasn't so thick as to obscure the vision too badly. Instead, Machop's attack landed head on, striking Lapras right in the face. The impact caused and explosion, the giant Pokemon flying back a few feet from the impact with heavy damage.

"Hah! How'd you like that?" Vinny cried out. "And if _Dynamic Punch_ connects, the shockwave from the impact leaves the sorry Pokemon dazed and confused!" Kelsey smirked, and shook her head.

Derek whistled, his face looking like he knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"You might want to actually read your textbook for once!" She replied. "When _Mist_ is used, it's mystical energy prevents the user from being affected by unusual side effects. In other words, it keeps my Lapras fully alert and she remains in action! Now, use _Rain Dance_!" The Lapras spun around in circles, and then shouted into the air. Holographic rain down fell down from practically nowhere.

"_Rain Dance_ weakens the effectiveness of Fire type moves, and amplifies Water type attacks," Allison said. "She's going to finish him in one blow?" She looked up towards Derek, but he shook his head.

Vinny was unimpressed with her tactics. "What, are you trying to confuse me by changing the weather all the time?" He asked. Not getting a response, he shook it off. "Machop, take Lapras down with one final _Dynamic Punch_! It may not confuse Lapras, but it will still do heavy damage!"

"Actually, _Rain Dance_ has another ability that makes it a great technique," Derek finally said.

Machop jumped up to smash down on Lapras for a finishing blow, but the attack clearly missed its target, swinging right past Lapras's neck.

"You see, water conducts electricity, and some of the greatest Electric type moves tend to have unreliable accuracy, just like _Dynamic Punch_, as you can plainly see."

"Lapras, use _Thunder_!" Gathering electricity, Lapras unleashed a massive bolt of lightning, striking the unguarded Machop. The Fighting type didn't fall quite yet, however, but electricity from the attack still remained, completely paralyzing him.

"_Thunder _causes massive damage, and has the possibility of paralyzing the enemy. Since Machop is Vinny's only card, it means that it's the only one he uses, so of course it's going to be tough. Machop is a tough Pokemon to begin with, so it wouldn't go down with just one attack. But using one big attack to disable the enemy for the next was Kelsey's plan all along."

"_Hydro Pump_!" Kelsey cried out. Lapras opened its mouth, and sent a large stream of water right into the unguarded and defenseless Fighting type. The attack connected, and Machop was brought down.

"Kelsey chose Lapras because of its extreme versatility, despite the type disadvantage. And since Vinny is so… predictable, everything went as planned."

"He may have baited her, but she never lost her cool in the first place," Allison remarked. "And I've noticed that Vinny doesn't seem to have a cool as far as battling goes," Derek nodded. Vinny hung his head down, practically going into a depression of being beaten so easily five times.

"A keen observation," He agreed, then waving to Vinny. "Hey, are you done losing yet? I'm getting hungry, and my Dad said it was alright if you and Czar come over for dinner!" Vinny quickly darted over towards Derek and nodded, seemingly forgetting about his utter defeats.

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"Gahahahahaha! Losing five times in a half an hour?! That's pathetic!" A roar of laughter burst out right towards Vinny. The laughing trio apparently thought it was funny that Vinny did so badly. Jonathan Pierce was a giant of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall with great muscles and a booming voice. He had spiky blonde hair like Derek's, only he let it grow out of control. He had a few whiskers for a beard, and had dark brown eyes. He was a man if little self-control, and so carefree he was often perceived as lazy. Mr. Pierce often considered himself a jack of all trades, and instead of steady employment, he did odd jobs around town for various people. Even so, he somehow was able to get a cozy yet quaint house in the middle of the suburbs. Derek once told Vinny that he was a retired Pokemon Trainer, but Mr. Pierce simply replied by saying, "Back then, I was just a bum with a few Pokemon, now I'm just a bum with a kid and a bird." By bird, he referred to his pet Torchic, the second creature laughing at Vinny's expense. The third one laughing was Vinny's own roommate Czar, a Charmander with a bit of a mischievous attitude. If he was ever bored during the day, he'd wander into the school, walk into classrooms and pretend to be a student. In fact, the school bought him a fireproof cuff he was wearing to put around his tail if he ever wanted to go out in public and not set things ablaze. The smell of roasted meat emanated from the kitchen, making everyone in the room salivate for just a second.

"Derek, hurry it up with the food!" Jonathan yelled out into the kitchen. "We've got two Fire types in the house, so if it's a little underdone, we don't have to worry!"

"You remember what happened last time Tori tried to cook her own meat!" Derek yelled back from in the kitchen. Vinny's eyes darted to a huge black spot on the floor.

"I was wondering what that was from…" He muttered. He looked over towards the Torchic and patted her on the head. "Looks like you can't control your own fire, huh?" He teased.

"_TORCHIC_!!!" The Fire type cried out, immediately pecking Vinny's hand, and then his face. Vinny screamed out in pain, and Czar had to pull her back and restrain her. This scene caused Jonathan to laugh even harder.

"Ha-ha! Tori only lets Derek and I touch her, isn't that right?" He patted Tori on the head as he said it.

"_TORCHIC_!!!"

"OW! OW! OW! Okay, only Derek, only Derek!"

"No killing each other before dinner!" they heard Derek cry out. Tori and Jonathan suddenly froze, and sat still waiting for their meal.

"And which one's the kid and parent here…?" Vinny whispered over towards Czar.

"_Char_?" Czar replied, shrugging his shoulders. Something then clicked, and Vinny scratched his head.

"I keep getting the feeling we forgot something…"

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"Sheesh… they could have at least told me they were leaving…" Thomas muttered as he walked home on a moonlit path. "Honestly, if grouping us up is so important, shouldn't they be taking this a little more serious…ly?" Walking by the school, he saw a group of five shady characters in large coats. Due to lousy lighting, he could only make out faint silhouettes, but he heard the ruffling of a paper bag, and though he saw one holding one like a bottle.

"Just a bunch of drunks," He muttered, and walked his way home. If they were still there around morning, the school security would take them away. What Thomas didn't see was one man putting up his hand to his ear and whispering something, nor did he see the man with the bag pull out a bolt cutter.

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The hike from Viridian City to Pallet City was a bit of a hike, but it wasn't half-bad, considering the moonlit scenery, and the fact that the young man wasn't alone.

"_Weevee_?" A high pitched voice called out from near the ground. Five feet higher, a much lower voice responded.

"Yeah, we're here…" He muttered in a cool tone. "Thanks for walking with me. I'll take it from here." He pulled out a small ball, pressed a button, and it increased in size. He pressed the button again, and it sent out a red beam of light towards the furry Pokemon.

"_Weev_!" The furry Pokemon replied happily as it was transferred into the Pokeball with a flash of light. After shrinking the Pokeball and placing it on his belt, he slung a bag over his shoulder.

_Pallet City. Where my next- and last- mission begins._

_--------------_

**Preview:**

**Vinny**: I don't like this…

**Derek**: Don't like what?

**Vinny**: I'm the main character. Couldn't I have been a little more badass in the first chapter?

**Kelsey**: Speak for yourself! All I did in this chapter was stand up and beat your ass! It wasn't much at all!

**Vinny**: … *sulking*

**Derek**: Anyone gonna do the preview now? Fine… next time on Generation V: **The Night Raid!**

**Vinny**: … *still sulking*

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**Author's Notes**: Well, here it is. The first chapter of the restarted Generation V. As for the old GenV readers, I'd like to apologize one last time for discontinuing the series. It was getting so loose and spontaneous that I couldn't hold it together for very much longer. I learned a few good lessons from that, and am now trying to redeem myself. I'd also like to point something out to everyone. The "V" in Generation V is not the letter, but the roman numeral for "5". The fact that the main character's name started with a "V" was merely a coincidence.

Anyway, for the old GenV readers, I hope you'll still follow along with me. For the new, I thank you for reading this, and hope that you continue reading this and hopefully enjoy it. Until next chapter!

Note: As of right now, I have no intentions of posting the stats for every character on my Profile Page. Keeping it up to date irritates me, and it only confuses the readers. What's more, reading my profile page will only give spoilers of what Pokemon the characters will have, anyway. But I will do this at the end of each chapter of estimated levels of each character's Pokemon, starting this chapter!

Vinny: No Pokemon

Kelsey: No Pokemon

Derek: No Pokemon

Thomas: No Pokemon

Ronald: No Pokemon

Allison: No Pokemon

**C**razy **H**uman **A**t en**D** of chapter that's myster**I**ous **AN**d dark: Eevee lvl Eleventy Billion (Level Unknown).

Like I said, I hate giving spoilers.


	2. The Night Raid

I own nothing, other than my original characters. At least not until I dominate the world… MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Why are you looking at me like that?

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 2: The Night Raid; Afterschool Invasion!

"And what happened after that?"

Thomas shifted around in his seat. He didn't like being questioned like this, and especially by the police.

"Well… I saw a few human figures hanging around the Academy's West entrance. I figured them for a bunch of drunks, and thought that they wouldn't do any harm!" He said it calmly, but he was honestly getting annoyed for repeating it ten different times. How many angles could there possibly for mistaking criminals for drunks?

_So… those guys last night broke into the Academy, and didn't take anything or even leave anything behind? Talk about weird…_

The police officer asked Thomas for a more detailed story, and Thomas sighed. What was he supposed to know, their shoe size?

----------

It was Wednesday, two days after the group's little misadventure at the VPA. And Czar was bored.

"_Char_…" Czar moaned out as he yawned.

"Hey, it's your own fault for following me home from school…" Kelsey scolded him without turning around. "Just because Vinny may be boring to you right now doesn't mean I'll be any different. I'm busy studying for the exam, too."

"_Charmander…_" Czar remarked, as if she understood what he just said. It was something along the lines of… "Whatever. It's still better than nothing…"

The two were walking down the sidewalk in the suburban area of Pallet City.

"Honestly, everyone chickened out when I asked them to help me lug all those books around…" She said with a slight hint of anger in her voice. "Vinny and Derek are helping Derek's father with some odd job, Thomas is fulfilling his 'civic duty', Alli said she had to stay behind to hold us a place, and who knows where that Ronald character is?! They're lazy, the whole lot of 'em!" She slapped her forehead, once again wondering why the whole grouping part was necessary.

"What about 'that Ronald character'?" She heard a voice from behind. Turning around, she saw Ronald pop up from out of nowhere.

"And where'd you come from?" She demanded. Ronald simply looked at her with a serious face.

"I've been stalking you near every day now," He answered blankly. But before Kelsey could take a swing at him, he responded with a straight face, "That was a joke. My house is right across the street, and I saw you walking down the street with Vinny's Charmander. That's when I heard you say my name." Kelsey's face went red, whether from anger or embarrassment Ronald couldn't quite tell. Either way, he didn't seem to care. "And you really shouldn't talk to yourself in public, you know. People will start to get ideas."

This time Kelsey _did _swing, and a large lump appeared through Ronald's shaggy white hair.

"Ow." He calmly proclaimed with his same icy stare. "Please don't hit me."

"Don't joke around so seriously like that!!!" She replied, practically yelling. She regained her composure and added, "Anyways, follow me! You're helping too!"

-----------

"These are the kind of 'odd jobs' that you do around here…?" Vinny asked out of the blue, grabbing his shovel, and throwing dirt into the ditch. A slight snicker came from Jonathan, and he nodded.

"As a Jack of All Trades, I've done dirtier," He responded. "This isn't so bad, though. At least the creepy people in this job don't move!" Vinny glanced at the gravestone behind him and shivered.

"I don't know…" Derek said, looking around him. "I think being around the dead gives you a sort of new outlook in life, you know? Like it makes me feel ever more so alive…" Vinny and Jonathan simply looked at each other. Vinny and Jonathan stopped their digging for a second, looked at each other, and then looked at Derek.

"Pansy."

"I really don't know how he got to be like that," Jonathan stated.

"Hmm… Sometimes people just turn out to be natural wusses, you know?" The two resumed their shoveling.

"See if I ever make you guys dinner again…" Derek muttered, going back to work.

------------

"This is your house?" Ronald asked, looking towards the roomy two-story baby blue building. Kelsey nodded and walked to the front porch.

"Come in if you want, but take your shoes off unless you want your feet to go along with them," She said coldly. Kelsey slowly opened the door, peeping her head through as it opened. After looking left and right, she suddenly snuck in.

"What, you live with a demon, or something?" Ronald asked, wondering about her odd behavior.

"Something like that…" She whispered back. She opened the door further until she heard the thumping of footsteps coming from the stairs.

"Keeeeeelseeeeey!" A higher-pitched voice cried out, jumping into the air and slamming Kelsey into the ground. Ronald walked in, recognizing the similarities. She looked like a mini Kelsey, except… slightly girly. She wore a pink shirt with sunflower in the middle, and slightly rolled up blue jeans to reveal her ankles.

"A little demon…" She replied. "A very clingy little demon…" She pushed her off, but the little Kelsey stuck right back to her. Then she noticed the white-haired kid.

"Hi, my name's Kelly!" She exclaimed, standing up and pointing at Ronald. "You look just like an old man!" Ronald's eye twitched, as he suppressed the anger.

_Only a stupid little girl… Resist urge to draw blood…! _Before little Kelly could say something else offensive to Ronald, Czar peeked his head from behind Ronald. Kelly noticed this jumped towards him.

"Char-Char!" She cried out, putting Czar into a half hug, half headlock. "Yay! Char-Char came over to play!"

"You brought Czar along to deflect your sister?" Ronald asked. Kelsey gave a quick nod.

"Today they're closing the library late so all the third year students can study for the final exam. Alli's waiting on us at the Academy library, and I need to get these books in a hurry," She explained. "I'll make it up to poor Czar later," She walked into another room, and Ronald simply stood there for a second, and then followed her.

"Wait, you need to bring books to a librar… Whoa…" He walked in to a room with walls covered by bookshelves. "Are you sure this isn't the Academy library?"

"Very funny…" She muttered, grabbing a book from a shelf. She pulled a list out of her pants pocket, and pointed her finger around until she saw what book she needed. Ronald took the time to see what kind of books there were.

_Pokemon Encyclopedia… Bulbasaur Edition, Ivysaur Edition… Wait, they make encyclopedias for individual Pokemon!?_

"Just how many of these books have you read?" He asked in wonder. Kelsey pulled another book off of a shelf, and stopped to think about the question.

"Umm… about half of them, I guess…" She said, looking back at her list.

_There has to be a conservative estimate of at least a thousand books here!_

"And I read over a hundred!" Kelly called out from the doorway, still holding Czar in her hug-lock. For a second, Ronald lost his cold stare in a surprised expression.

_Just what is this family!?_

-----------

"Looks like we're finished!" Jonathan announced proudly, stabbing his shovel into the ground onto the nice former ditch now filled in with dirt. Vinny lied down to take a breath and Derek laughed at Vinny's exhaustion.

"You were doing so well at first!" Derek exclaimed, holding a hand towards Vinny to help him up. Vinny simply looked up at him, grabbed his arm and pulled himself up.

"I'm always wearing myself from the get-go," He explained. "Unlike you two, I'm not exactly capable of feats of superhuman strength."

"Superhuman?" Jonathan asked, nearly offended! "WRONG!!!" He slapped Vinny on the back, knocking him down again. "This ultimate body was carved by none other than working hard, but never wearing yourself out! Now, we should head home! You said you had something to do after this?" Vinny's head clicked, and he stood straight back up again.

"That's right!" He yelled out. "Me and Derek are supposed to meet Kelsey and the others at the library for the whole… studying thing." He said it as if they were foreign words. He dashed off in a hurry. "I'll go ahead and head over there right now before she takes me head! I'll see you later!" Derek started to chase after him, but his father merely grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Excuse me, but aren't you covered in dirt and all sweaty?" He asked, pretty much saying that Derek wasn't. "And there will be ladies present at this event, right?"

"Umm… a couple of girls, but it's just a little study group…" Derek replied.

"WRONG!" He slapped his son on the back, and Derek nearly toppled over. "I'm not going to let any ladies see my son looking like… well, me I guess… but that's beside the point!"

Not noticing the two people that weren't behind him, he looked up at the sky, realizing it was getting dark a little earlier than usual.

----------

"Let's see, we got out at two… and it's about five right now…" Kelsey and Ronald were carrying a large stack of books. Ronald had to steady his large stack with his chin.

"Question."

"Vinny and Derek should be done by now, but I bet they're still goofing off somewhere. Either that, or they'll forget…"

"Inquiry!"

"Who knows where Thomas'll be… it may just be me, Alli, and Ronald… The three people that _don't _need to study…" She gave a hard sigh. This would be the last time she would ever offer to help everyone again. Especially if the others didn't graduate.

"HEY!!!" Ronald finally screamed out. It seemed like he was loosing his cool often lately.

"Yes?" Kelsey responded. She shuffled the books in her arms so they became perfectly straight.

"I'm the smaller person, so… Why am I carrying most of the books!? The weight itself feels like it's gonna squash me…" Kelsey gave a cruel smirk, holding back a laugh. He was carrying a stack of books twice the height of Kelsey's stack.

"But I'm told you're incredibly strong despite your puny size, right? This is the time to live up to your reputation!" She left it at that and walked a couple of steps faster.

"And I wonder who she heard my 'reputation' from…" Ronald muttered under his breath. The two finally made it back to the Academy. Fifteen grueling minutes of transporting several books and they finally arrived at their destination.

"Library… Library…" Kelsey said, looking around.

"Down the main hallway, fourth door to the left…" Ronald answered angrily, walking past her and heading to the library. "Sheesh… a nerd like you doesn't even know where the library is…"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" Before she exploded, a hand merely patted her on the head.

"Yo!" Thomas said with an innocent grin on his face. "You shouldn't really yell out like that in public!"

"That's what I've been telling her all this time…"

KLONK! KLONK! A pile of books were planted on top of Ronald and Thomas's heads. Thomas promptly removed them from his head, and grabbed the books on Ronald's head as well.

"If you wanted me to carry your books, you could have just asked…" He muttered, wanting to hold his aching head.

"Thomas?" Ronald answered.

"Yeah?"

"Please carry my books," He lifted his large pile of books and placed them on top of Thomas's other books. He then walked away from the two. Walking away, he said, "I don't need to study for anything, and I'm getting tired of the circus act. I'm just going to put some ice over my head and go to bed."

"It's just after four!"

Ignoring the yelling behind him, Ronald promptly walked out the doors of the Academy, spotting several large men on the way out. Five in total, they wore long, dark brown leather coats, along with large dark brown top hats. They looked like they belonged in a 50's movie convention. The five men weren't talking or anything, just standing there side by side in a straight line, facing forward. The strange men put a pause in his step, but he continued walking when one of the men's eyes glared toward him.

"What are they, human coat racks?" He muttered to himself as he went down the front steps and onto the street.

---------------

In just twenty five minutes, Vinny arrived at the Academy. Quickly running up the steps, he grabbed the door handle and pulled, only for it to stay still.

"Damn door won't budge…" He muttered, and then backed away from the door, trying to catch his breath. He looked around for a bit, and then remembered a side entrance that almost no one knew about, leading straight to the cafeteria. He walked over to the side of the building. It was odd that there was no one around the outside of the building. Normally there were at least three or four loiterers at this time of day. Either neglected students still waiting for their ride to school, or just a bunch of troublemakers with too much free time on their hands. He ducked under at branch, and right behind the bush, was the door. Whenever he was too late for class, he'd often use this door to avoid going through the main hallway. He checked the doorknob and luckily for him, it was still open. He quickly ran through the cafeteria and into the main hallway. He arrived at the entrance where he walked up to the reception desk. Oddly enough, the receptionist looked like some secret agent from the late 50's, with a long brown coat and hat. He was a rather large man, looking to be about six and a half feet tall and a deep tan. He had crazy dark eyes, and his general body structure seemed more like a bouncer than a receptionist.

"Excuse me, sir…" He said, talking politely to make a good impression. The fact that he had dirt all over him, and was wearing a sweaty wife-beater and blue jeans didn't help him much. "Could you please point me to where the library is at?" The large man merely shrugged.

"Beats me," He replied. "I just got this job today," There was a slight snicker when he said it, but Vinny didn't see the humor. Vinny nodded like he understood and waved as he ran off.

"Thanks anyway!" He yelled out with a smile on his face as he looked back. When he faced forward he rolled his eyes.

_He didn't even tell me to stop running in the hallways. This guy won't last the week…_ He continued down the hallway and turned at the next corner. The side opposite from where the library was.

-------------

Kelsey and Thomas were amazed at the sight in the back of the library. Allison had chosen this table for the privacy and the fact that the group would undoubtedly make a lot of noise, but never did they expect to see her snoozing on the table with her mouth open. A small puddle of drool was right near her mouth, and her snoring wasn't exactly quiet.

"Well, this is… unexpected…" Thomas remarked. "Wait, don't you have to lying on your back to be snoring that loud?" Kelsey seemed irritated about it, and she grabbed the top book of Thomas's giant stack, and dropped it right in front of Allison's face.

"Eek!" She cried out, immediately sitting straight up. She looked around, saw Kelsey and Thomas. "Oh?" she grunted for a second, looking down at the table and puddle of drool. "OH!" She wiped the saliva from her mouth.

"A wet table's not exactly a good thing to place a book on…" Kelsey said, somehow speaking in a calm voice. "So could you please drool somewhere else?"

"So sorry!" She cried out, getting out of her seat. There was a red mark on her face from where she put her head down, and gave a slight bow. "I'll go get a towel!" She then went running out of the library, and into to the hallways.

"She's rather…" Thomas started, unsure of how to finish. He looked over towards Kelsey. Would insulting her friend make her go into a violent rage? He wasn't sure, and he didn't want to find out.

"What…" Kelsey then asked with a smirk on her face. "Odd?" Thomas nodded, and she nodded back. "Maybe, but if she was a plain girl, do you really think the two of us would get along?" Thomas shrugged and was about to speak, but was interrupted by utter darkness. All the lights in the library went out, and the two were left in the dark. Peeking through the library door, they saw that the lights in the hallway were out as well.

"Umm… I'm gonna go take a look around," Thomas said, walking towards the door. He turned back towards Kelsey, and said, "You should stay here in case Alli comes back."

_There was the suspicious group of people from yesterday, and now a power outage when the least people are around. What's going on here?_

"Also, there were some strange people around here yesterday, and they may have come back tonight. So I'd watch myself if I were you…"

"Wait, what do you mean…?" Kelsey asked, but Thomas already bolted. And as he turned around the next corner, Vinny came dashing down on the other side.

"What the heck is with the lights?" He asked himself for no particular reason. In the darkness, he saw the sign reading "Media Center".

"Media Center…" He stopped in front of it, and saw a box. "'Overdue books'…" He snapped his fingers. "I found it!" He opened the door, saying, "'Media Center'? What's with the fancy words…" Vinny was silenced as Kelsey's fist went straight to his face.

"Ouchies…" He said, droning as he finished his word. He collapsed to the floor, apparently unconscious. Three seconds later, he stood right back up with a fist imprint on his face.

"Oh, Hi," Kelsey said, realizing it was Vinny. She seemed to have no remorse for accidentally punching him in the face whatsoever. Three seconds later, Vinny stood straight back up, looking around hurriedly.

"Who's the dead man that… oh… Hiya!" His face and voice became friendlier as the sentence went on. He seemed to harbor no ill will towards Kelsey for punching him in the face. Seemed being the key word. "What's with the lights?" In the library, and in the dark, Vinny suddenly felt the urge to whisper.

"What's with the whispering?" She asked, then shaking her head. "I don't know," She answered. "Thomas says it might have something with the thugs that came in yesterday. Alli ran out for an odd reason, and Thomas went to look around." She then seemed to twitch in anger, saying, "And that cocky brat decided it was a waste of his time…"

"Yeah… He can be a little conceited…" Vinny replied. "Derek's on his way, but I sort of ditched him and ran straight here when we finished with our work."

"So that's why I have the sudden urge to hold my nose…" Kelsey replied. "Well, what do you think we should do now?" Vinny thought about it for a second, scratched his head, and came up with a blank. Then a large figure came bursting in through the door, nearly kicking it off its hinges. The two gave a shout of terror as they heard a gruff voice.

"What you're going to do is stay right here until we finish!"

--------------

"Come out come out wherever you are…" A voice in the hallway called out playfully. Alli, still holding the paper towel, was merely hiding behind a corner. The last thing she remembered, the lights went out just as she got out of ladies' room to get a paper towel. She hurried back to the library, only to spot two large and scary-looking men. It seemed that one of the men was chasing her. She just hoped that she wasn't running from something stupid like a security guard just wanting to ask her if she was alright. But the taunting seemed to confirm that she was in danger.

_Why is all this happening…?_

She saw a door next to her that was cracked open, and she heard footsteps coming closer and closer. She quickly ducked into the room, closing the door to just a crack, but not shutting it completely. She looked around for a hiding place in the room, and realized that this wasn't a classroom. The walls seemed to be full of shelves with round indents in them, Pokeballs filling up nearly every one.

_This must be where the school is keeping all the starter Pokemon…_ She thought in wonder. She then heard a click from somewhere deeper into the room. She seemed startled for a second, but went to investigate.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to strike…" A faintly familiar voice called out. A little too loudly for someone out to get her. "And I heard that a group of thugs tried to get in the Academy last night, but failed because they set up the security system that's set up only at night. So I realized that you'd strike when the security was most lax. But to think you guys would risk getting discovered for something like this…" He held up an object in his hand. Recognizing the voice now, she stepped in closer to look at an ancient-looking Pokeball with a large scar on across the red top. "Hmm…?" He looked confused as he got a better look at Alli.

"Hi…" She waved with a slight smile on her face, trying to hold back the laughter from seeing Ronald's confused and surprised face. They heard the door creek open.

"Well… looks like I found you…" He started to say.

"Wait, did I just waste my speech on you?" He asked with his tone obviously carrying anger. Alli gave a nervous smile and nodded.

"Your voice threw me off for a second because it seemed a little more mature than normal," She answered.

"Well... forget everything I said, and get out of here!"

"I would… but that large man is blocking the doorway…" She pointed to the impatient-looking man that was chasing her.

"Are you two done yet, or should I count on being ignored for a little bit more?" He asked sarcastically. Ronald immediately replied.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to strike..." He started to recite.

"Save it, I heard it in the hallway!" The larger man yelled out. He looked around the room, and realized where he was. He immediately put his hand up to his ear.

"This is Weasel, calling to Warden," He spoke out in a loud and clear voice. "I have found the target room. I repeat, I have found the target room. Weasel out." He put his hand down, and gave a slight smile. "So… You seem to know quite a bit little boy. Tell me, since you know so much… How would you like to be disposed of?" Ronald gave a slight smirk.

"Alli, get back behind me, and if you have a cell phone, I suggest calling 911. Specifically ask for the police and five ambulances," Weasel seemed slightly perturbed at the boy's cockiness. Nonetheless, Alli ran back behind him and flipped open a cell phone.

"And do you really think that a little runt like you could take me on?" He asked, cracking his knuckles. Ronald patted what he was sitting on. It was a crate full of Pokeballs.

"Why would I get into a fistfight with you when I can just take you out with whatever Pokemon I pickup?" He asked. He closed his eyes for a bit, placing hand an inch above the Pokeballs. "Ah!" He said, opening his eyes. "This one has a particularly cold feeling about it. I think this is a good choice." He picked up a Pokeball and released it. A cold wind stirred as an icy creature appeared before them.

"_Snover_!" The Ice and Grass type cried out, glad to be outside of its Pokeball. He looked around, saw the scary man, and the young man holding his Pokeball. He didn't understand the situation, but being a Pokemon raised to be a Trainer's, he would obey whoever held his Pokeball.

"Wait… you knew what kind of Pokemon would come out?" Weasel cried out in shock. Ronald gave a slight smile, and shrugged.

"If you block out your senses, you can sense the cries of any Pokemon, whether they're in a Pokeball or not," He answered. "And regardless… Snover! Use _Powder Snow_!"

"_SNOVER_!!!" A blast of snowy air shot out at Weasel, and the man screamed as he was struck and parts of his body were covered in ice. Alli closed her phone, and was amazed by the action.

"That's amazing…!" She marveled at it, watching the man go out cold, in the literal and figurative sense.

"He'll be out for awhile, but I'm sure that medical attention – and the police – will be there when he wakes," Ronald said, somewhat enjoying the praise. "Maybe now he'll know better than to insult the son of the former Gym Leader of Snowpoint City, and the grandson of the Sinnoh Region Champion!" He relished the look of shock in her eyes.

------------------

"This is Warthog reporting in…" A large man said in front of the Academy. "The main entrance is all clear… Wait a minute…" He saw a car pull up, the headlights flashing in his eyes. "A car just pulled up…" Jonathan and Derek Pierce got out the car, the latter dressed in a black suit, and looking disgruntled at the fact.

"Well, looks like we arrived a little late… but..." Jonathan said, noticing the large man. "I don't recognize this man…" Warthog merely waved his hand, signaling the two to go away.

"Buzz off old man," He said, his tone not at all friendly or even attempting at negotiating. "Go on now and mind your own business before someone gets hurt!"

"Well you seem like a friendly neighborhood watchman!" Jonathan laughed, signaling Derek to come closer. Warthog replied by pulling out a knife. He seemed like the only thug with enough sense to bring a weapon. He pointed it towards Jonathan, who took a step back. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, an orange blur came zooming out of the car.

"_TORCHIC! TORRR_!" Tori unleashed a flurry of small fireballs straight at Warthog's hand. The _Ember _attack burned his hand enough that he dropped his weapon and Jonathan stepped closer towards him, punching him right in the face. Warthog went down with one shot.

"Unlike you, my muscles aren't used for intimidating people and looking strong," He said over the unconscious man. He gave a slight grin to Derek. "I certainly hope he wasn't just a grumpy security guard!"

"You just now thought of that?" Derek asked, slightly annoyed, but he thought it unlikely. What was shocking him more than the fact that Tori once again managed to stow away unnoticed was that fact that Tori could use the _Ember_ attack, and so accurately as well. "No doubt you had a hand in this, old man. You've got too much free time on your hands…" He muttered to himself, watching Jonathan shake his fist from the pain of punching someone in the wrong way.

_Why does his stupidity remind me of someone?_

------------

"It's no use hiding!" The gruff man yelled out. "I'll find you eventually!" Hiding behind a bookshelf several yards away from the man, Kelsey and Vinny were crouching next to each other.

"If his job is to just keep us here…" Kelsey whispered, peeking around a corner. It was no good because of the darkness. Where were no windows in the library, so none of the fading daylight could come through to light the place up.

"Why is he busy chasing us instead of protecting the doorway?" Vinny answered with a grin on his face. "I was thinking the same thing. Scary, huh?" Kelsey nodded in agreement.

"I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I think we found someone even dumber than you…" They felt movement from the bookshelf, and they saw that it was crashing down. The two rolled out of the way in different directions, looking at the gruff man standing on over the fallen bookshelf.

"I found you…" He said with a grin. Vinny and Kelsey nodded to each other, and ran around him to go behind the other bookshelf.

"One, two, three!" they yelled out, charging the bookshelf, trying to knock it over. They slammed right into it… and the two toppled to the ground. They groaned in pain, each holding their shoulder.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Gruff smiled with a grin of pure pleasure on his face.

-----------

"This is Wombat reporting in…" A man in the same attire as the others was on the rooftop, only about six feet tall. He seemed to be the runt in this little group of giants. He was watching a young man with short black hair, black t-shirt, and baggy black pants sitting on the ledge looking up. "There's a boy simply staring at the sunset. He doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Requesting orders to… What the hell?!" He heard a trickling sound, and found his pant leg getting warm. He looked down to see an Eevee promptly urinating on his foot.

"_Wee_?" he looked up with an adorable innocent face.

"Go on now, you damned little piece of shit!" He cried out, sending his foot straight towards the Eevee's abdomen. By the time his foot swung out, the Eevee disappeared out of his field of vision. He looked around, but saw no sign of him. He didn't see the Eevee appear above him, and certainly couldn't see the Eevee's tail glow pure silver. The poor man didn't even know what hit him.

"Fool…" The boy muttered. Wombat's first mistake was kicking at the cute little Eevee. Wombat's biggest mistake was even thinking about kicking the poor Eevee. The Eevee then continued his business on Wombat's face.

_Damn, ugly-ass sunset… Hurry up and go away so I can see the moon again…_ His thoughts broke up when he saw a tired-looking Charmander look walk into the building. It had some sort of cup around it's tail flame.

_Domesticated Charmander? How disgraceful._

--------

"I was a moron for even following your lead!" Kelsey yelled out at Vinny.

"Well, how was I supposed to know all of those books were so heavy?"

"Maybe if you actually picked one up every now and then you'd know!"

"Well, maybe if you weren't so busy reading them you'd be a little bit stronger!"

"Now's not the time for this…" Gruff muttered. "My arms are getting a little tired…" He was holding them up by their shirts, surprised at their ability to ignore the current situation. "Couldn't you two at least pretend to be afraid, even a little?"

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!!" Gruff saw a beam of light gradually approach the library. He received no word of any police or anyone else entering the Academy, so it must have been someone they haven't discovered yet.

"Just one second. You two go about your arguing and I'll pound the two of you when I get back…" He promptly threw them on the ground, and walked towards the entrance. Vinny and Kelsey looked past the gruff man to see a lizard using its tail like a flashlight.

"Czar!" They cried out in unison.

"_Char_!" Czar replied happily. The Charmander smiled at the two, and then looked up at the giant standing before him. "_Char?_"

"That guy's a bad person trying to beat us up!" Vinny cried out. "You need to help us!" Czar managed to comprehend this, and smirked. "In fact show me that technique you mastered!" Czar nodded, and took a step back.

"_Chaaaaar_!" He yelled out, sucking in his breath… and unleashing a cloud of smoke.

"A failed _Flamethrower_...?" Kelsey asked, unimpressed and annoyed that Vinny would even believe that an untrained Charmander could use such a technique. Then something clicked. "Wait… That wasn't meant to be a Fire type attack! That was…"

"_Smokescreen_!" Vinny said proudly. "As the victim of an angry Charmander, I have succumbed to that attack many times!"

"That's not something to be so proud of…" Kelsey muttered.

"_Char_!_ Char_!_ Char_!_ Char_!" Czar jumped through the cloud of smoke, his claws looking like they had a good workout.

"_Scratch_!" Vinny then said. "When blinded by the smokescreen, you can't help but take the attacks as Czar leaps through the cloud of smoke!" He heard the gruff man cry out in pain, followed by coughing, and then saw him fan the smoke away with his coat. He had several deep scratches across his face, but he looked more mad than damaged.

"Stupid little lizard!" He yelled out, grabbing a pile of heavy books and launching them all at the

Fire type. Czar batted them away with his tail effortlessly, but was kicked right in the face and

sent flying into a wall.

"_Cha_!" He grunted as he lay on the ground, not used to pain. Vinny and Kelsey ran to his side.

"Now you've managed to make me really pissed…" He said, his voice barely calm. He took one

slow step after another, making sure to give them as much time to shiver in fear as possible.

"Dammit… we don't stand a chance…" Vinny muttered. Kelsey was trying to think of a way to win, but wasn't able to come up with a plan with the current situation. She looked at the books the

gruff man threw, and though she wasn't sure, she thought they were the ones she brought over

with her. She remembered Ronald complaining about their weight, and how Czar easily knocked

them away.

_That's right! I remember! _She stood up, also lifting Czar up to his feet. "Czar… you need to get above this guy, and give him a good slam with your tail," She whispered. "If you can do that, just maybe you can take him down!"

"_Tail Whip_?" Vinny whispered back. "I'm not so sure _Tail Whip_ will work if several _Scratch_ attacks wouldn't!"

"Just trust me!" Vinny looked at Kelsey's stern face, and then looked down towards Czar. He nodded to him, and Czar immediately charged head on. Vinny ran off to the side, Kelsey grabbed a book off of a nearby bookshelf, and chucked it past Czar, and straight towards the gruff man. He merely caught the paperback book and tossed it aside.

"Stupid girl, try throwing something that could actually hurt!" He yelled out. She gave a quick smirk, and he noticed the Charmander jump up on top of a table, and then jump straight above him.

"_CHAAAAAR_!!!" He yelled out, slamming his tail down upon the top of the man's head. The gruff man then knocked the Charmander away, but stumbled to his knees as he went to charge straight over to him.

"What the hell?" He cried out, wondering why he lost his balance. "From a pet Pokemon?" Kelsey nodded, ready to explain.

"There's one thing that a domesticated Charmander has that's stronger than a wild Charmander," She explained. "A Charmander, normally living in rocky and barren hot places, doesn't need to worry about its tail. But a domesticated Charmander normally has to keep its tail up at all times. As the Charmander grows older, that Charmander will have built up incredible muscle strength in the tail, as to not burn anything with the tip of its tail flame!"

"And how would you know this?" He gruff man asked, feeling dizzy from the blow to the head.

"Consider it textbook knowledge, a textbook written by Professors James and Jane Richton!" She proclaimed loudly. The gruff man chuckled, and slowly stood up.

"Thanks for the lecture…" He proclaimed. "Thanks to it, I was able to recover a bit of my strength!" He stumbled for a second, and then heard a loud noise behind him.

"You're not the only one that needed some time!" they heard Vinny yell out. The bookshelf then tipped over, crashing on top of the large man. Past the fallen bookshelf, stood Vinny, holding his left arm.

"Heh… So, James and Jane Richton, eh? Well, I don't know about how many books they read, but I know that Professor Jane Richton makes a mean meatloaf last time you had Czar and I over for dinner!" Kelsey, at first stunned by the fact that he could knock the thing over on his own, ran over towards Vinny.

"Is your arm okay?" She asked. Vinny shrugged.

"I wanted to find out, but it's sorta dangling limply and I can't move it…" Kelsey slapped her forehead, wanting to smack him across the face.

"Idiot, you hit so hard you dislocated your shoulder!" She yelled out. "You could have broken that arm, you know! You need to think about things before you do them!" Vinny looked somewhat offended.

"Of course I thought things through! That's why I slammed the shelf with my left side, so I didn't break my writing arm before the exam!" Kelsey sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, bite your tongue or something, because this going to hurt a little bit…"

"Hey, wait, what are you doing to my ar- GYAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"_Charmander_..."

---------

"Wombat, Warthog, Weasel, Wimpy… Anybody, come in?" Standing outside the Main Entrance making himself looking important, Warden was disturbed by the fact that none of his operatives were contacting in. Weasel said he found the target, but never communicated afterwards.

"Yo!" Warden heard a voice cry out from the front entrance. Thomas Cain walked out the front door, and went closer to him. "I think I've seen you before!" He said. "Aren't you one of the thugs that came here last night?" Warden didn't realize there were any witnesses to last night's failed break-in.

"Well, aren't you the clever brat?" He retorted sarcastically. "And what are you going to do if I am, huh?" Thomas gave a slight smile, and sucked in his breath.

"HELP! HELP! THERE'S A BURGLAR! THERE'S A BURGLAR!!!"

"Why you!" He was about to pull something out of his pocket, but he heard police sirens come up from behind him. "Not good…"

_That worked out better than planned!_ Thomas thought to himself with a grin. _I was hoping screaming for help would scare him off… but this works, too!_ He smiled at his own luck, and waved to Warden as he was taken off into the car.

**Preview**:

**Vinny**: Heh, if you thought this chapter had plenty of action… Well, you're just going to have to wait until the next chapter!

**Derek**: And since is the preview, do you mind bringing the audience to light?

**Vinny**: Well… If you insist… Czar! Tell them what happens!

**Czar**: Char! Char! Charmander Char Char! Charchar, CHARMANDER!!!

**Vinny**: I couldn't have said it better myself.

**Derek**: Ugh… This preview section is useless. Next time on Generation V: **A Charmander's Courage!**

**Vinny**: Miss it at your own risk!

---------

**Author's Notes**: And this is the second chapter of Neo Generation V. I give you this warning; after twenty or so chapters, this story's title will change to Tales of the Braven Region: Insert Title Here, so just be warned. As you can see, the first and second chapters have been drastically different from the first two, and third one will be no different. Anyways, the moment you've been waiting for; everyone's approximate levels!

Vinny: No Pokemon

Kelsey: No Pokemon

Derek: No Pokemon

Alli: No Pokemon

Thomas: No Pokemon

Ronald: Snover (Temporary) lvl 12

Jonathan: Tori (Torchic) lvl 10

Czar lvl 5

**CH**ild w**A**tching sun go **D**own: Eevee lvl ERROR (Wouldn't you like to know…)

**Please Remember To Review**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!**


	3. A Charmander's Courage

I own nothing, other than my own original characters. Assuming I'm the real author of this story… It's a simple matter, really. All you need to do is kill the old BlackEcho, figure out his account password… (Five hours later) then after jumping through the gates of Hell battling the Devil himself, get the special 1up mushroom, write people's names in your notebook and wait forty seconds, gather the Seven Dragonballs and wish for ultimate power… (Twelve hours later) then you have to gather the Tri-Force using the Master Sword, jump on top of robots to free the inner animal, attain Bankai… eh, you get the idea…

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 3: A Charmander's Courage; Czar's Scorching Pride

"And you're telling me none of you had anything to do with whatever happened last night?" Levid demanded. Before classes began, Levid wanted to speak with the group of six that were supposedly staying after school to study. And on the one day Vinny decided to show up early.

"Nope!" They said in unison.

"Kelsey, Czar, and I found a man under a bookshelf. He looked scary, so Czar scratched him in the face out of fear!" Vinny said. Off the top of his head, he thought it was pretty good.

"When my dad drove me to school, we saw a man who looked like he was ravaged by a giant bird Pokemon!" Derek then said, not mentioning the burn Tori gave the man earlier. "I saw the knife nearby, and figured he was dangerous, so we drove away!"

"I heard screaming coming from a room with an open door, and saw that a man half-frozen," Ronald said. So far, the lies were stacking up, but they couldn't be broken down easily.

"I went out to take a breather, and saw a man get arrested by the police!" Thomas followed up. And then came Alli for the finisher. She took a quick glance at Ronald, and remembered what he said last night.

"_You mention any of the things I said to anyone, and you're dead!" _

"And I was sleeping the entire time!" She finished cheerfully. Everyone looked at Alli knowing the blatant lie.

"Umm… That's the best lie you could come up with?" Levid asked. As if digging a deeper grave, Alli nodded without hesitation.

"Yep! Best lie I could think of!"

_And where did this cheerful girl come from…?_ Levid thought to himself. Shaking his head for several minutes, he seemed to stress over something.

"Well… if the police weren't suspicious of any of you, I guess there's no reason for the school to be. Looking at the entire group in general, I can't see where you would want to bring harm to the school. You may leave now." The bell rang, and the six looked at each other. "Better yet, take your seats!" Students started pouring in, and the group rushed to their respective seats.

"Wonder why he didn't ask about my arm…" Vinny said, pointing to the sling his left arm was caught up in.

"Because he probably doesn't even care," Derek answered. "What happened to it, anyway?"

"I bumped into a bookshelf, and accidentally knocked it over."

------

Since last night's fiasco, Czar was on full alert. He spent most of his time patrolling the school hallways in case something ever happened to the school. He had scratches and bruises all over his body from last night, but he was able to put up with the pain. If the school that protected and provided for him for so many years was in danger, he would gladly return the favor by protecting the school.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was taking this a little too far…

"_Charmander, Char Char Char_!" He yelled out at a student in the hallway. Someone was wandering in the hallways? It had to be a threat! The student turned around at the sudden scream.

"Hey…" He looked like he was trying to remember Czar's name. "Uh… you Charmander, you… I was just stepping outside for a drink of water!"

"_CHARMANDER_!!!" The small lizard charged right at him, and the student quickly dashed into a classroom.

"_Char_..." Czar replied, shaking his head in disappointment.

---------

"Where did that damn bug go…" the trainer said out loud. Stuck in the forest in pursuit of a rare Pokemon, the trainer managed to get himself lost. His only Pokemon was hurt from battling the wild Pokemon, but before the trainer could capture it, the Pokemon ran away, too injured to resist the confines of a Poke Ball. "My Pokemon got hurt, and I'm not going to let that go in vain…" Busy talking to himself, he didn't notice the rather large Pokemon creep up behind him…

"GYAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

-----------

"Sheesh… Kelsey was right…" Alli muttered to herself while walking up the steps of the school. "Hanging around Derek, Vinny, and Ronald has got me even lying to teachers! What am I gonna do if my mom or dad finds out!?" She was holding her head, and practically yelling at herself. It seemed that Kelsey wasn't the only one that talker to herself. She reached the top, and opened the door to the rooftop. Being the only one in the first lunch group, not hungry during lunchtime, and wanting to enjoy the beautiful blue sky, she often wandered up to the rooftop for the lunch period. This time, she wasn't the only one on the rooftop.

"Huh? Someone's there?" She asked herself, spotting a figure clothed in black, and the back of his head full of short, limp black hair. It seemed he too enjoyed looking up at the sky. She walked closer towards him, suddenly unable to speak. She hated how she was nervous around other people! Alli shivered as she felt something moving around her ankles. She looked down to see a rather cute Eevee with a golden-brown coat of fur looking up at her with large, bright eyes and a cute smile.

"_Weevee_?" He simply said, as if asking something of her.

"Aww… this is a cute Eevee!" She said, crouching down to pet him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," The young man in black said without turning his head. "Eevee has a bad habit of urina-" The Eevee interrupted by jumping into Alli's arms, snuggling up comfortably. Alli giggled at this, and held the Eevee gently, stroking its silky fur. The young man looked back, and through his sunglasses noticed his Eevee rub his face in her chest.

_Smooth operator, or complete pervert?_ He merely thought to himself. _Hmm. I bet it wasn't even her face Eevee was looking up at, anyway… _The young man in black snapped his fingers, and the Eevee jumped out of Alli's arms, and did a quick back flip in midair and managed a perfect landing. He then held out a Poke Ball, and the Eevee disappeared and went into the Poke Ball in a flash of red light.

"Umm… You're a Pokemon Trainer?" She asked. The young man's face went into a deep scowl; the reflecting sunglasses making him seem all the more intimidating. He then nodded. As if the Poke Ball, the perfect back flip weren't enough.

"Yes," He finally replied. He turned away to look at the sun. "I hate the sun. It's too bright and warm when it's out, and all the vibrant colors you can see with it are annoying… The darkness of the night suits me better…" He continued to scowl at the sun. Alli took a step back, a little nervous around the guy.

_My emo detector's beeping! _She thought, thinking of a way to subtly go away without offending him. "Well, look at the time!" She practically yelled. "I've got to go! It was nice talking to you, goodbye!" She took a few quick steps back and went back down into the school. She still had a good fifteen minutes to spend.

"I need to find a motel or something…" The young man in black muttered when she left.

---------

"And you hurt your arm by knocking over a bookshelf?" Ronald asked, leaning up against the wall. Ronald, Vinny, and Czar were relaxing on the side of the Academy. Lunch was horrible, but at least the view and fresh air was nice. Ronald was sitting down leaning against the wall, Vinny remained standing, and Czar was sitting on his rear, scouting the general vicinity with a pair of binoculars that neither would ask where he got them from.

"Well, my shoulder does hurt a little bit… but I still think this was a little too much…" He sighed as he laid his head on the wall and closed his eyes.

"What happened?"

"Well, after this big gruff guy decided to randomly attack Kelsey and me, Czar came in and saved the day. Afterwards, the three of us went back over to her house. Czar and Kelsey only received minor scratches and bruises but her parents threw me in their minivan and rushed me to the hospital… a thousand bucks and three hours later all they told me was to not move it around..." Before going into a ranting session, he decided to end it early. "Anyways, what happened to you?" Ronald shrugged.

"I stumbled into the room where kept the starter Pokemon, and used one to meet an old friend of mine called hypothermia," He said plainly. "After that, I snuck out, walked home, and slept a full eleven hours of sleep."

"I'm telling you that sleeping that much isn't normal…" Vinny replied coldly. Ronald was going to reply with a simply shrug, but his eyes widened and he immediately stood up straight. Vinny wondered what the commotion was, and noticed a body lying off in the distance beyond the school grounds. Ronald snatched Czar's binoculars and took a closer look. A body of a young man, most likely a trainer from the Poke Ball resting in his hand, lay simply unconscious. He saw no sight of blood or injuries, but his vision saw a dark figure moving closer towards him in the background.

"Vinny," He stated coldly. "Go get security and medical help as soon as possible." He took another look through the binoculars. "You'd best get someone from the local Pokemon Center as well, by the looks of it."

"_Charmander_!" Czar stood up straight, yelling out to Vinny and Ronald. He looked like he was prepared for battle. Vinny nodded, and gave a slight grin.

"I have a better idea," He said. He pulled the sling off of his arm, and painfully moved his shoulder about.

----------------------

Since the class was split apart during the various lunch sessions, the time when the students weren't in lunch was used as a private study time, such as asking the teacher questions about the lesson, and other preparations for tests. Since the exam was announced, this time was actually being used effectively. Often Mr. Levid would be out and about leaving the students by themselves for a couple lunch periods.

For some students, like Thomas Cain, this time was used to stare blankly into space. Looking out past the window he observed the many wonders of the school grounds. A large figure emerging from the trees caught his eye. A large brown insect came out, slowly walking towards a limp body. The insect, a Pinsir, seemed to be limping and walking wearily. The most notable appearance was that he wasn't symmetrical. On top of his head, there was one white horn with small spikes, but the left horn only had a jagged white stump that looked like it was forcibly ripped off. Otherwise, it looked like your ordinary cut and bruised Pinsir. Though Thomas did feel concerned for the poor fellow the Pinsir was nearing, he was more concerned for the two other creatures dashing towards it. He turned towards Kelsey, Derek, and Alli, and waved them over.

"This is something you might want to take a look at," He said blankly, and when the three went over to look, the entire class had to follow.

--------------------

"I have no idea what that Pinsir thinks it's doing," Vinny started, suddenly groaning in pain. "And whatever that guy did to that Pinsir, we gotta stop it!" Czar boldly nodded, and lost balance for a second. Vinny helped him regain it, and the two went dashing full speed. "And how much have you been eating!?" The Charmander laughed nervously, and answered with a shrug. Czar was standing on top of Vinny's shoulders, while the young man charged straight towards the bug Pokemon.

"_Pin…sir…_?" The large bug was looking at the unconscious trainer lying on the ground, but caught sight of a flaming lizard on top of a boy running straight towards them. Perhaps they were from that large building that was near the woods? Regardless, they were coming towards him. It seemed that these fools didn't quite understand the situation.

_If what Kelsey said yesterday was true, then Czar should be able to at least hold the Pinsir off! All I have to do is buy a bit of time for Ronald to get here!_

"Czar, you ready?" He asked. The Charmander hesitated, looking at the size of the creature, but eventually nodded. "Okay, give a full scale tail slam!" Vinny tossed the Charmander up into the air the same time Czar jumped off of him. High above the Pinsir, he swung his tail down on the Pinsir.

"_CHAAAAAAAR_!!!" Vinny ran towards the unconscious chap, but stopped to see how the attack ended.

"_PIIIINSIIIIIR_!" Though with only one horn, the bug type managed to bat away the small fire type's attack with relative ease. Czar went crashing towards the ground, holding his scratched tail.

"No effect…?" Vinny gasped, wide-eyed. This wasn't in the meager thoughts that could hardly be considered calculations.

----------------------

"What…the…hell?" Ronald looked around in the empty room, where last night, hundreds of Poke Balls were stocked. Could all of those Poke Balls been transported so quickly?

"I made a couple calls," A voice behind him said. Ronald turned around to see a young man in black standing in front of the door. It was the same person that Alli spoke to on the rooftop, and the same person who took out one of the thugs last night. "After last night's incident, both a student and a criminal found out where the entire stock of Pokemon were," He explained. "I suggested that the Dean move them to an outside location overnight, and it looked like he took my advice." He looked around the empty room. "So neither of us know the whereabouts of the current stock of starter Pokemon are now." Ronald's eyes showed a flicker of anger as he clenched his fist.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Ronald asked, toning down the anger, and retaining a cool posture. "You don't quite look like a student, and you're a little young to be a faculty member." His voice became slightly deeper, more mature and serious. The young man in black shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. After putting his shoulders down, he placed his hands on his sunglasses.

"I believe this will answer all your questions," He said, as he removed them. Staring in surprise, Ronald shook it off.

"I think we need to talk," Ronald began, his voice nearly cracking. "But right now, there's a more urgent matter at hand."

"You don't say?"

-------------------

"_Chaaaaa_!" Czar unleashed his _Smokescreen_ attack, covering the Pinsir with a cloud of smoke. Then he proceeded to run away.

"Good idea…" Vinny said, going to the trainer, and trying to pick him up. Unfortunately, a human is much heavier than a Charmander, and Vinny involuntarily dropped the person out of the pain in his shoulder. "Bad idea…" He then said, watching the smoke cloud dissipate when the wind blew.

"_Pin…Sir…_" Instead of struggling within the smoke cloud, it seemed that the Pinsir calmly rested while it lasted. It saw the Charmander run off, but the humans remained. One nuisance aside, the other human was holding his shoulder, looking up at the Pinsir with both fearful and defiant eyes. The Pinsir used its usual intimidating tactic by clenching its two horns together, but with one gone, it just looked like one was wiggling around. What's more, it hurt to move the broken one. The Pinsir practically crashed to the ground shuttering in pain.

"_Chaaaar_!" Czar suddenly came dashing back into the fray unleashing a flurry of scratches, kicks, and headbutts at the distracted Pinsir. After about thirty seconds of his nonstop assault, Czar had to pull back to breathe. Last night's injuries were beginning to take its toll. The Pinsir, formerly shuddering in pain, seemed unharmed by Czar's attacks.

"Hey, wake up, dammit!" Vinny said, slapping the unconscious trainer across the face a few times. Though he groaned, he did nothing else. "Czar can't hold up against this thing, and Ronald is nowhere to be found. I thought he knew where the Pokemon were being stored. Then Pinsir mumbled something in a language Vinny didn't understand.

"_Why are you stopping me from destroying this fiend?_" The Pinsir asked the weary Charmander. Charmander responded in his own language, and Vinny figured they were speaking to each other.

"_What do you mean?_"

"_This fiend had the audacity to invade my territory, and after forgiving him, I asked for his help. This fiend then used his Pokemon to injure me further, despite my injuries! This fiend has no right to exist with a Pokemon, let alone command one!_" Czar wagged his tail and stared blankly at Pinsir as he explained. Czar looked completely confused.

"_Maybe it's because I'm not wild, but all I see is an enraged Pinsir attacking a helpless human. Vinny wants to help him, and I can't let Vinny get hurt 'cause he has a test Monday!_" Now Pinsir was the one confused. Czar took advantage of the situation, charging in for another assault. But Pinsir wouldn't allow it. He batted the Charmander with his arm, swinging him up into the air. When Czar came falling down, Pinsir jabbed his horn straight into Czar's gut, then flinging him down to the ground. Rolling down to Vinny's side, Vinny had one more unconscious creature to protect. He also saw the flame on Czar's tail flicker and eventually become the size of a lighter's flame.

"CZAR!" Vinny screamed, struggling to the Charmander's side. He held him in his arms. He felt a heartbeat, but he felt much colder than usual. He glared at Pinsir, anger definitely apparent. Not known for their reasoning, Pinsir considered this a challenge, and in a rage, charged straight towards the human and the unconscious Charmander.

"_Weevee!_" He brought his horn down upon the two, and a flash of brown and glowing white appeared in both Vinny and Pinsir's field of vision. Blocking Pinsir's _Horn Attack_, was an Eevee with a glowing white tail as hard as steel. Pinsir was pushed back, and the Eevee landed between Vinny and Pinsir.

"_Iron Tail_," Vinny heard Ronald explain from behind. "A Steel type attack that can gives the user incredible destructive power." Vinny turned around to see Ronald and the young man in black. The young man in black held a Poke Ball, presumably the Eevee's. Vinny turned back to see the tiny Eevee stare down the Pinsir. He then noticed that Pinsir's good horn was cracked from the previous clash.

"Incredible destructive power? I guess so…"

"The enemy is a Pinsir, bug type, male gender with severe injuries, one broken horn, the other damaged. Injuries include a deep scratch in his left leg, leading to speed impediment, and various smaller scratches all over his body," The young man in black explained, apparently very observant even with sunglasses on. "Feel free to go wild," The Eevee looked back excitedly, and his tail wagged happily. He turned towards the Pinsir once again. While the bug type was preparing for another charge, the Eevee disappeared out of sight.

"Pinsir can only rely on frontal assaults," Ronald said to Vinny. "They don't exactly have a neck, so they have to turn their entire bodies if they want to see their target. That's why they develop such strong skin and have such massive power to compensate for this weakness."

"But…" sunglasses began. Eevee appeared behind the Pinsir, and slammed right into his back at high speeds. Though he stammered from Eevee's _Quick Attack_, he didn't fall. It seemed he was much tougher than he looked.

"If you can get past all of that thick skin and muscle…"

Pinsir whipped his body around to attack the tiny Normal type, but Eevee easily backed away with nearly the same speed he charged forward with. Once he was a safe distance away, Eevee stopped, and began to glow with an eerie purple aura.

"And if you can think beyond just a frontal assault…"

Eevee began to form a black orb of energy in front of him, and the Pinsir charged forward anyways. But it was too late. Eevee shot out the dark ball of energy, the sphere striking the Pinsir and sending him flying backwards. He crashed to the ground, knocked out cold.

"You can bring down even the biggest colossus." Eevee skipped back to his trainer happily, not at all weary from bringing down the giant Pinsir. Ronald patted Vinny on the shoulder as he sat in silence.

"I guess now you know the difference between a domesticated Pokemon and a wild one. And the difference between a wild Pokemon and one raised by a Trainer." Vinny nodded solemnly, looking down at Czar. He then stood up, facing the Trainer in black.

"If you're a trainer, you have Potions or other healing items, right?" He asked, almost pleadingly. The Trainer shrugged, then shook his head.

"Eevee never gets injured, so I don't waste my money on them," He replied. He seemed to ignore the injured Charmander, either he didn't give a damn, or he just didn't notice him. He snapped his fingers, and jerked his head towards the unconscious Trainer. Eevee trotted towards the Trainer's face, lifted up his leg, and promptly peed on him. The Trainer stirred, and young man in black walked over, and kicked him in the leg. He woke up screaming in pain.

"Wake up, you bastard," He said, ready to kick him again. Eevee seemed to giggle a little at this.

_Great… First you're a pervert, now you're a sadist…_ He shook his thoughts off for a second, and looked down towards.

"I'm awake…" He grumbled, looking around at his surroundings. A short white-haired kid, a kid holding an injured Charmander, a kid in black standing over him, an Eevee with his leg lifted up, and… urine all over his face. "Guh! Disgusting!!!"

"Save it," He replied. Sunglasses grabbed him by his hair, and brought him up to his feet. "I just got done taking out an enraged Pinsir that was getting ready to maul your unconscious body, and I have a small question. Could you please tell me what the hell's going on?" He stepped back from Sunglasses, and shivered.

"Well… I uh… found the wild Pinsir looking pretty injured, so I figured it would be an easy capture. But he got away when he brought down my Pokemon… I chased after him, but he got me by surprise. I ran away, and uh… fainted from fear…" He seemed pretty embarrassed. He started to laugh nervously, but Sunglasses promptly punched him down to the ground. He grabbed him by his hair again, and began dragging him towards the forest.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!?" He asked. Sunglasses stopped.

"Pinsir's a territorial Pokemon, so if his territory is nearby, that means his other horn is around there as well. I'm going to go search for it. And since this entire thing is your fault, I'm bringing you to use as a shield in case that Pinsir has any family." He faced Ronald and Vinny. "Call for some medical help for your lizard, and then find the best glue or paste you can. That Pinsir won't wake up for another couple hours." He then resumed dragging the other trainer along by his hair. Eevee jumped on top of Pinsir, and simply sat on his unconscious body.

"Hey, wait, you're going to just glue his horn back on? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not bringing you along because I like you, so shut up," He explained. "And wipe your face off."

-----------------

"For what it's worth…" Ronald began with a solemn tone in his voice. "I'm sorry I let you do this," He looked over towards Vinny. He was standing over a bed in the school nurse's office. Czar was lying unconscious, his tail flame no bigger than before.

_You're an idiot for taking the Pinsir head on… _Ronald thought, realizing his words would have been of no solace. _But I guess that makes me the bigger idiot for agreeing to his plan in the first place…_

"I'm an idiot for getting him into this…" Vinny replied sadly. "I should have realized that he wouldn't stand a chance from the battle last night, but I had to get all elated and pretend to be a hero…"

"In the last couple of days, you've learned the strengths and weaknesses of a few Pokemon, right?" Ronald then asked. He felt very uncomfortable in this situation. Despite seeing Vinny's serious side, he had yet to discover his insecure side. "Well, being a Trainer's like that, except you have to learn your own strengths and weaknesses as well as your Pokemons'. In a sense, I guess you're one step closer to becoming a trainer,"

"It feels like a step too far…" Vinny replied harshly.

"Oi, Czar fought the Pinsir so you wouldn't get injured!" Ronald said, becoming impatient. Before he could explode, he heard several footsteps coming towards. Nearly crashing through the door, Derek, Kelsey, Thomas, and Alli poured into the room.

"Is Czar all right?" Derek asked, standing next to Vinny and nearly gasping when he saw Czar. Scratched, cut, and bruised all over, he had a wicked wound in his gut."

"Thanks to me, he's hurt pretty badly…" Vinny muttered.

"You moron!" Kelsey nearly yelled.

"Yeah, I am…" She wanted to hit Vinny over the head, but she had a feeling it wouldn't mean anything because he was beating himself up plenty.

"You take over…" Ronald said, stepping outside the room. "I've got better things to do than talk him out of depression," He walked right past Thomas and Alli, and shut the door behind him.

"Hey…" Thomas then said. "I, uh… saw the entire thing from the window… and…" He scratched the back of his head, not entirely skilled at counseling himself. "And when I saw that Charmander run away, he ran back when he realized you weren't running. It looked like he was trying to protect you from getting hurt. So…"

"So you can either be depressed about Czar's sacrifice, or you can make it worthwhile," Kelsey finished. Derek then patted him on the back.

"So what're you gonna do when he wakes?" He asked. "Bury your face in the dirt apologizing, or show off your Pokemon Trainer's License grinning?"

"And… they may look like pretty bad injuries now, but it looks like he'll recover by the end of the week…" Alli added in quietly.

"I don't know about you…" Vinny started. "But I don't like having dirt on my face!" He turned around with a slight smirk, and nodded to the four. "So thank you, bunch of prying bastards!" He chuckled a little, and the others responded likewise.

"And with you and Ronald, I guess that makes six of us!" Derek replied. He patted Czar on the head, and decided to step out. "Well, I guess crowding around Czar isn't going to help him recover, so I guess we should go out and see that Pinsir ourselves." Vinny nodded.

"Yeah. I was supposed to help him with something… But I forgot with what…" He gave a grin and followed Derek out.

"I reiterate; you moron!" Kelsey then followed the two, leaving just Thomas and Alli.

"You really think he's gonna get better in a week?" He asked her while walking out.

"I'm not really sure, but I wanted to say something helpful…"

"You're getting a pretty slick tongue, you know!"

---------------

By the time Sunglasses and the "bastard" came back with a broken horn, the six were busy petting and playing with Eevee and oddly enough, the unconscious Pinsir. Ronald had brought along a few bottles of super glue, much to the forgetful Vinny's delight.

"All I'm saying is I'm sorry, all right?" The "bastard" repeated for the eighteenth time.

"SHUT UP!" The seven finally cried out. After dumping the bottles on the horn's stump. They carefully placed the horn on the stump, holding it there for a few minutes.

"So is gluing the horn back on going to fix him?" Vinny finally asked. Kelsey and Ronald merely pointed to the other cracked horn. In between the cracks of the horns, was a strange white liquid.

"Because the horns are Pinsir's main weapon, they often become damaged or broken. Thus, the horns naturally secrete a substance that will repair and bring the pieces back together," Kelsey explained. With a broken off horn, it will take a couple of months, but you'd never guess that his horn ever broke!"

"That's… pretty neat!" Thomas exclaimed. Sunglasses gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"All it means is that Pinsir often get their asses handed to them," He replied smugly. "So they developed to recover quickly. Pretty pathetic, if you ask me…" Kelsey gave a slight growl.

"Well we didn't ask you, so shut it!"

"Wee!" Eevee suddenly became tense, and looked over towards Kelsey, then his Trainer. He merely shook his head, and Eevee began to relax again. He then grabbed Eevee's Poke Ball, and recalled him. After placing Eevee's Poke Ball onto his belt, he pulled out another Poke Ball. This Poke Ball had a pink top and two red hearts on it.

"That's a bit of a flamboyant Poke Ball, don't you think?" Vinny mocked.

"No… That's a Heal Ball!"

**Heal Ball: A specialized Poke Ball used for healing injured Wild Pokemon. Though normal Poke Balls have a healing device installed in them, the Heal Ball's function is to actually recover the Pokemon rather than prevent a Pokemon's condition from worsening like a normal Poke Ball would. Thus, when it would take a month for a Pokemon to recover in a Poke Ball, it would only take about a day for the same results from a Heal Ball. **

"Yeah…" Ronald said. "It's a specialized Poke Ball used for healing… Ah, never mind. It's not important…" Sunglasses threw the Heal Ball at the still unconscious Pinsir. Engulfed in a bright pink light, the entire being that once was Pinsir quickly miniaturized into the small pink and white sphere that was the Heal Ball. After shaking several times, the Heal Ball gave a slight "ding" and the Heal Ball was finally at rest. Sunglasses went over to pick it up, and simply placed it on his belt.

"Excuse me… but…" Alli started to say, but a glare from Sunglasses made her pause. _The lack of eye contact is really beginning to creep me out! _"Umm… I don't believe we got your name." Sunglasses grunted for a second.

"And I don't have any of yours." He replied.

"Um… My name's…" The "bastard" began, but he was hit in the head by Sunglasses.

"Shut up, bastard," He replied. "No one wants to hear you talk. Get your ass to a hospital and get your injuries treated. Then get your ass to a mental ward and get your head examined." Almost breaking into a cry, the "bastard" ran off.

_I don't know if I should call him cool, or just a plain ass! _Alli thought to herself while looking at Sunglasses. "Anyways, my name's Allison. Allison Black…"

"And I'm Thomas Cain!" Thomas said with a little more confidence than his predecessor.

"Kelsey Richton, nice to meet you…" She said it almost begrudgingly.

"Derek Pierce, pleasure to meet you!"

"Vinny Elias's the name, well… being a future trainer's the game!" Nobody laughed at his attempt at humor.

"Ronald Friese." Sunglasses looked at the six, first looking like he was trying to remember them, but then looked like he really couldn't care anymore.

"'Friese', huh?" He then replied with a slight laugh. No one saw the humor, but Ronald seemed slightly put out by it. "Ian. Chad Ian." He turned around and walked away without another word, leaving the six to ponder about his earlier crack.

"Wait…" Vinny then said. "Was his first name Ian? Or was it Chad? I'm a little confused…"

--------------------

Though all he did was sleep when he was at the home, Vinny couldn't help but feel a little bit of loneliness coming from the small hut. Even so, he was determined to pass this exam. He flipped open the legible books he had, but could only stare at them for a bit. In reality, Vinny didn't know _how_ to study. He scratched his head for a minute or so, and tried to read the words on the book, but some mystic force prevented him from doing so. Even when he felt like he was able to do it, a knock on the shabby door rung throughout the hut. He dashed over to the door, opening it up to see Ronald standing before him in rather strange clothes. He never figured him for a sweatpants and sleeveless kind of guy, and in pure white clothing, it was a bit of a shock. What's more, his eyes were dark underneath and baggy at six PM. Maybe him needing all those naps were actually true!

"Grab your bags," He said, giving a loud yawn. "The two of us are skipping school tomorrow and you're spending tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday at my place."

"Eh? Pardon me?"

"As it stands, you're going to fail the exam. I figured you for someone who would pull through when things mattered for some odd reason, but today I was proven wrong. So we're going to make the most out of these three days we have left, and you're going to become a damn Trainer. So pack your bags, and come with me for three days of hell."

"H-hell?"

-----------------

**Preview: **

**Vinny: **Um… Ronald?

**Ronald: **What?

**Vinny: **This may be a dumb question, but why do you have an electric chair in your home…?

**Ronald: **It's not an electric chair. It's a quiz machine. Anyways, welcome to my home! Please, sit down…

**Vinny:** Ehehehehehe….

**Ronald:** Next time on Generation V: **The First Exam**! Miss it or you'll fry!

--------------------

**Author's Note: **Well, this is the third chapter in Neo-GenV. Though it took me awhile to write, things are beginning to pick up, and I've already written a couple pages of the fourth chapter… in my head. Anyways, if all comes as planned, expect the fourth chapter to be up sometime this week. Author out… Here are the levels of all the Pokemon that were in this chapter.

Czar: Lvl 5

Pinsir: Lvl 15

Chad's Eevee: Lvl ____________


	4. The First Exam

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 4: The First Exam; Test of Courage!

As expected, the dean's office looked much neater than the rest of the Academy. The floors and walls all made out of some fancy dark wood, Chad Ian had to fight the urge to stomp across the entire office. This room didn't even look like it was part of the school. When he looked around the walls, he saw various doctrines and degrees, pictures of the dean with fairly famous Trainers and politicians, and a picture with a young boy he thought looked familiar. The young boy had long black hair and a careless grin on his face as he faced the camera.

"I believe you've met my nephew already," The dean said when he saw Chad staring at the photograph. "And if you would please take off your sunglasses…" Chad stared at the dean for a minute or so in silence, making no move to take them off.

"These are my glasses," He blatantly lied. "They just have a very dark shade to them, but I need them to see." The dean shook his head for a second in disbelief, but pushed it aside. Not a lot of trainers volunteered for this position, and with the test in less than three days away, he needed everyone he could get.

Dr. Cain was a man in his mid-forties; slick black hair kept looking young with no signs of graying. He seemed to have knowledgeable eyes, but something was confusing Chad. Though he could walk perfectly fine, he always seemed to carry a cane around. Did he consider it a scepter of power of some sorts?

"Anyways, you said you had some urgent matters you needed to explain?" Dr. Cain said, trying to speed things up. Chad stared at him for a few seconds. It was hard to know what the boy was thinking.

"If I'm to accept this position, then I want to lay down some conditions," Chad finally demanded. "It doesn't concern pay, though I certainly think I'm being ripped off in that area."

"I'm listening…"

-------------------

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Vinny practically yelled out as both he and Ronald just entered his house.

"I'm serious," Ronald responded. "Sit down in that odd-looking chair. We're going to begin our quizzing session." He jerked his head to a metal chair nailed to the floor with several electrodes attached to it.

"How exactly did you get hold of an electric chair in the first place?"

"My friend's second cousin's friend's uncle's cousin gave it to me. Don't worry about it too much. They're just minor shocks, anyway. Now sit your ass down and stop wasting time!"

"Sadistic bastard…"

---------------------

The man went by the name of Manley Davidson. Though it was not his real name, he had no use for one. On the surface, he appeared as nothing more than the owner of a rising business company, but deeper inside, he was a man of much more power than wealth could ever bring. Through intimidation, violence, and respect he led a deeper underground organization. Soon enough, it seemed he would control both the legitimate side of business, and the illegal side. Yet even with all of this power, he was but a small part in a greater plot. Though this could be explained in greater detail, all of it became irrelevant when he watched the news in his office that night. The news story was about the recent dangers that involved five men breaking into a Pokemon Academy only to be restrained by local students, and then a wild Pinsir invading the school grounds the next day. As soon as the broadcast was over, Manley Davidson knew he needed to make several calls.

------------------

"This mouse Pokemon often lives in desert or mountainous regions with little precipitation, and curls into a yellow ball when threatened." Ronald seemed to be reading from a textbook with little interest, holding his finger over a glowing red button.

"Yellow mouse Pokemon… Pikachu!" Vinny said, wanting scratch his head, but he didn't want to interfere with the electrodes attacked to his forehead.

"Wrong…" Ronald answered, pressing down on the red button. Vinny felt a burning jolt of electricity surge through his body, and after going into a convulsion, screamed out in pain. He glared angrily at the white-haired kid sitting across from him.

"You still haven't told me where you got a freaking electric chair from!" He yelled out. "And I'd also like to know why you have one in the first place!" He felt another surge of electricity once again, and Ronald realized he accidentally pressed down on the button.

"Whoops…" He muttered. "Anyways, next question; this Bug type Pokemon has two large pincers on top of its body, and is known to be highly territorial…" Vinny's head nearly clicked.

"Pinsir!" He practically yelled out. "That one was easy, considering the late events!" Just then, he felt another shock.

"Huh? You got that one right? Sorry, just pressing out of habit…"

"That hurts, you bastard! And is all this really necessary?"

"Who knows?" Ronald replied rhetorically. Actually, no, it's probably not…"

"I hate you so much right now…"

---------------------

And for Friday and Saturday this process repeated itself. Though Vinny showed very little improvement, the electricity was going to fry his brain so much that he wouldn't be able to use it for the test if he kept it up. Thus, Ronald decided to let Sunday be a day rest. Vinny figured he would take this day to visit everyone. According to Ronald, Kelsey lived closest so he figured he'd head over there first.

"Seriously, though," Vinny turned to Ronald as they were walking. "Where and why did you get the electric chair?"

"I bought it online, because I accidentally bid on the wrong object. I was originally intending to purchase an electric cattle-prod, but I guess something went wrong."

"Maybe your head, for starters…" Vinny muttered quietly. If Ronald heard it, he didn't seem to care. Ronald seemed to be looking towards something, and Vinny heard a jingle and saw a little girl with a pink helmet and bicycle head right towards them.

"Vinny! Little Whitey!" Kelly cried out speeding up and skidding her bike to a stop right before Vinny.

"What did she just call me…?!" Ronald said, starting to shake with anger. Vinny put his hand out to tell him to cool down.

"Well hello you little squirt!" Vinny said with a surprisingly gently tone. He patted her helmet a couple of times. "Is your sis home right now? I figured I'd pay her a visit!" Kelly shook her head, looked around for a bit, and seemed to point in another direction.

"Kelsey went to her friend's house. It's a couple blocks down, but you'll see the house 'cause it's a big white house!"

_A big white house… Gee, could you be any more specific? _Vinny thought to himself, but instead answered with a smile.

"Well, we're going to get going, then!" He exclaimed. He stepped back and waved before turning around and walking in the general direction she pointed.

"Did she just call me 'little whitey'…!?" Ronald hissed, turning around to go with Vinny. "Someday I'll make her pay for that…"

------------------

"Hey, it's already one in the afternoon... GET UP!!!" Holding a pan full of ice water, Derek promptly poured it on top of his father.

"GYAAAAH!" He suddenly screamed. Needless to say, he was awake. "That's c-c-cold!"

"Don't you have a job to do today?" Derek asked, somewhat irritated at his father's lack of responsibility. Honestly, it was supposed to be the other way around! Jonathan blinked a couple of times while looking at his son.

"I… do?" He asked. Then something lit up in his eyes. "That's right! I'm supposed to be a mentor a kid for school today!" Derek slapped his forehead.

"You're mentoring? Who's the unlucky brat?" He replied sarcastically. He just couldn't see his father teaching anyone anything. He looked at his father, only to see serious eyes glaring back.

"You." Derek shivered at the thought of his father teaching him about being a trainer, but was also shocked on how this goofy man was suddenly serious. "I want to know this, though. Why do you want to become a Pokemon Trainer? Is it for yourself, or are you doing this for others?" Derek had to stop and think about this question. It wasn't really something he thought about often.

"Probably… both," He answered carefully. "I'm probably doing this to help my friends, but… it kind of feels natural… you know?" He wasn't sure how to put it. "I guess I just don't see myself working in a cubicle or sitting in office all day long!" He looked back at his father, and his eyes lightened up a bit. After Jonathan gave a hearty laugh, he came over and patted his son on the back.

"Gah! Hey! That hurts! Quit it! Cut it out!"

--------------------------

"Big… white… house…" Vinny gasped, through the front gates.

"Mansion, more like it," Ronald answered, probably as surprised as Vinny was. The two looked at the monstrosity before them, a giant building that seemed to make them seem like ants.

"So, how many people you think work there?" Vinny asked, having to turn his head to look at the entire building.

"Not too sure…" Ronald replied. "Maybe ten butlers, fifteen maids, ten cooks, and fifty people pretending to work?"

"Wouldn't doubt it…" Vinny replied. The two heard a beeping sound, and a voice suddenly emerged out of a speaker on the black metal gate.

"Excuse me, but you two young gentleman please explain your business. Remember, if you're salesman, we do have snipers on the roof." The speaker produced a snobby British accent.

"Talk about a friendly greeting…" Vinny muttered, walking right in front of the speaker. "Um… we're friends of…" He suddenly felt a tap on the shoulder. He looked back towards Ronald. He pointed towards a button on the speaker.

"You've got to press down the button to speak," He said, almost impatiently.

"Well excuse me for not knowing how to speak to a mansion," He snapped. He pressed down on the button so hard his thumb became white. "We're friends of Allison and Kelsey, and in their study group for tomorrow's big test. We figured we'd just check up on them and see how they're doing…" He let go of the button.

"Very well. Please let me confirm this." After about five minutes of standing around and waiting, they heard a buzz, and the gates began to open.

"You have been granted permission to enter," The voice came back on. "I will meet you at the front gate, but please refrain from improper conduct and acts of delinquency."

As the two walked forward, Vinny looked towards Ronald in confusion. Ronald replied by shaking his head angrily and walking forward.

"He means, don't act like an asshole," He answered. The two kept on walking through the scenic yard, and eventually saw a man in a white dress shirt, black vest, and black dress pants. He had slicked back black hair, and a thin mustache.

"Greetings, young sirs, I will lead you to the young master and her guests. They're currently studying right now, so if you would please be so kind as to not disturb the young master's focus. I'm afraid she has enough trouble… concentrating as it is,"

"Yeah, well, I know a great teacher that might be able to help her out with that problem," Vinny replied sarcastically, nudging Ronald as they walked through hallways of various pieces of art, polished dark brown wooden walls. "She'd be in for a shocking experience…"

"Once again you prove to be unfunny," Ronald said, batting Vinny's arm away. "How much longer is this stroll gonna take us? And who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Frank, but you may call me Wetherbee," he answered. "And to answer your next question, yes, my accent is fake. But you have to at least fake one to be hired as a butler in these parts."

"Oddly enough, I didn't think of that question…" Vinny whispered to Ronald.

"Touchy subject, maybe?" He replied. Wetherbee stopped at a door that would have been completely camouflaged if it weren't for the brass doorknob sticking out. After Wetherbee gently knocked, Vinny quickly opened up the door and walked in.

"Yo!" He said, greeted in casually, much to Wetherbee's dismay. The difference between the hallway and Alli's room made Vinny's eyes cramp for a second. The large room had faded pink walls, posters of various pop culture-related trends, the largest bedpost Vinny has ever seen, nearly filled with pillows. Vinny looked for the others, and saw Kelsey off in a corner sulking, Alli trying to console her, and also Thomas standing over her bed holding a piece of string while a slightly fattened up Meowth tried to reach up and grab it. He seemed completely oblivious to the dilemma going on in the corner. He looked over at Vinny, waved, and the Meowth took advantage by jumping up and grabbing the string out from Thomas's grip.

"Hi…" Kelsey grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Why is she so grumpy?"

"Um…" Alli tried to begin. "Kelsey suggested that I invite everyone here to do some last minute studying, but Derek said he couldn't make it, I couldn't get a hold of you two, and even though Thomas came over…"

"He's too busy playing with that stupid cat!" Kelsey finished, pointing angrily at Thomas. He simply gave a gentle smile in return. "This is why I hate carefree people…"

"Actually, I just came over because I wanted to see the insides of this place!" Thomas admitted. "Studying's just not my kind of thing, so I kind of figured I'd just wing the exam!" Vinny nodded knowingly, wanting to have done the same exact thing.

"And watch him get the highest grade in the class…" Ronald said, finally stepping into the room. "Well, actually, he'd get the second highest…" Wetherbee gave a slight bow, and closed the door.

"Um… Thank you…" Alli tried to say before it closed. Realizing the failure, she let out a sigh.

"If you want to thank a servant of some sort, try raising his pay," Ronald stated.

"Mom and dad don't really come to the Kanto region often, so it's normally just me Mr. Frank here…" Seeing the confusion amongst the boys' faces, she decided to explain. "Oh, my father is the head of a Pokemon Production Company in the Sinnoh Region, and my mother is currently the Region Representative of Sinnoh. We used to live in Sinnoh, but the Academy here is supposedly the safest in the World, so…"

"They haven't exactly been watching the news lately, have they?" Ronald replied smugly. "Robbers, wild Pokemon attacks?" Then something seemed to bother him. "What I want to know is why the spoiled daughter of a politician and businessman would want to adventure out into the wild, traveling from place to place despite the dangers of the wild," The question threw her off guard, and she seemed to think hard about it.

"It's not polite to pry about in people's business like that!" Kelsey remarked, and Ronald shrugged.

"And I want to know why the daughter of two of the Johto Region's top researchers wants to do the same,"

"Like I'd tell you…" Kelsey replied. Thomas seemed to laugh at this.

"Well, actually, I'm a little curious about this myself!" He remarked. "How about we all say why we want to adventure and our goals when we do?" He looked down at the white carpeted floor, petted the overweight Meowth, and looked back up with an oddly serious expression.

"My ancestor's built this Academy to make sure the best Trainers came out from the Kanto Region, and it's been sort of a family tradition to uphold," The fire in his eyes seemed to shock everyone in the room. There weren't many things that Thomas lost his smile about. "And since I'm no good at taking care of an old run-down school like my uncle, I'd show the results by showing the world that the best Trainer in the world came from Kanto." He jerked his thumb towards himself, and finished it off by returning his gentle smile. "Well, who's next?"

"I won't go into details…" Ronald glanced at Alli for a second. "But my father and grandfather were some of the best Trainers to come out of Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh Region. They have high expectations of me, but since I wanted to journey for my own reasons, I ditched them and enrolled here. As for goals…" He grunted for a second. "Nope. Not sure I have them…" The four sighed at the very end. No one seemed to speak up for several minutes, and the silence in between was only interrupted by the Meowth's yawning.

"I want to become a Pokemon Researcher, like my mother and father, but there's a different between reading about experiences and experiencing them firsthand." Kelsey finally stated. "As far as goals go, I already said I wanted to be a researcher." She felt that she said enough, not fully understanding why they were even talking about this. Shouldn't they be worrying more about becoming Trainers before they start assuming they'll already pass the exam!

"Umm… I guess I just want to go out and see the world, explore, and raise Pokemon, of course…" Alli gasped, as if it took a considerable amount of effort to even open her mouth. "I, uh… haven't really thought of want I want to accomplish… I just want to do my best…" Talking about herself wasn't something Alli was proficient in, so she was obviously uncomfortable; especially around three guys she barely even knew. Alli, Kelsey, Ronald, and Thomas all looked at Vinny. As if on cue, Vinny spoke with no hesitation.

"For the action, of course!" He replied with a smirk. The four simply continued staring. "Do I really seem like the type of guy that would hang around this boring place? I'll travel from place to place, living the excitement of ten people, and making the memories of twenty!"

_Figured he'd say something like that… _Ronald thought with a smirk.

_I bet he was planning that entire speech from the start… _Kelsey thought with a grim expression. _I also bet he was planning to go last like that…_

------------------

**I own only my original characters. Haha, you thought I forgot, didn't you… What!? You actually did!? **

-----------------

Monday. This was finally the time that the entire class had waited three years for. Armed with only a pencil, the students took their seats in class, everyone too nervous to chatter.

_That old man of mine… Some mentoring he did. All he really did was brag about the days when he was a Trainer… _Derek sighed as he tried to get these thoughts out of his head. _Fascinating as they were… I've got to get my head in the game! _He stared at his pencil sitting in the center of his desk, and cracked his knuckles, a habit he learned from his father to ease the tension.

_With only a hundred points on this test, it should only take me about thirty minutes or so… So I'll challenge myself and finish in twenty!_ Kelsey thought to herself. She felt that there was no way that she'd fail this test. Kelsey crossed he arms, tapping her finger impatiently.

_Well, looks like today's the day! I wonder what kind of Pokemon I'll get as a starter. _Perfectly calm, Thomas was already planning ahead. He leaned back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling while holding his pencil between his nose and upper lip.

_This is the worst… I can't remember a single thing! Maybe I should have studied so hard after all… But I just can't study hard like Kelsey can! I've gotta be calm… I've gotta be calm… I've gotta be calm… THIS IS THE WORST!!! _Not so calm, these thoughts swirled around under Alli's usual demeanor. Sitting up straight and hands resting on her desk, she wanted to pull out her hair instead.

_It's time to find out whether Ronald's torture actually paid off for my studies, or if he's just a sick bastard… _Vinny thought with a grin. He then dropped the grin as he thought of something. _I should take this a little more seriously… Czar still hasn't woken up yet, but I'm gonna make sure that I pass this test! _

_With Chad Ian here… The thugs' appearance wasn't a coincidence. But to think that the wild Pokemon attack the very next day… No, I'm getting to be too paranoid. Sometimes these things just happen. Chad didn't have very much information to offer me, either. Was this just something thought up by those goons, or was this a coordinated assault? Either way, this isn't the very end. Before the exam ends, I need to find out a bit more. _Ronald leaned his face on his hand, looking out the window. While it seemed he was just patiently waiting for the test, in actuality he really couldn't care less about the test. There was no possibility that he couldn't score a perfect hundred. _Bastard's probably not telling me everything, either. Can he really be trusted?_ Ronald's eyes then shifted towards Levin walking into the room with a handful of papers. Following him were four young men, around the class's age, with perhaps a couple years on them.

The first was none other than Chad Ian. Actually turning his head to make sure the six knew he was looking at them.

"Everyone, these are the proctors for this year's exam," Levin explained. "Would you four please be so kind to introduce yourself-"

"Chad Ian," Chad interrupted. He placed his hands in his pockets, and through his general demeanor you could tell he had no desire to be here doing this. What's more, entirely clad in black and the only person with sunglasses on, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He hated attracting attention. The man next to Chad then stepped forward.

"My name is Van," He explained, flicking his long, blond hair that practically sparkled. "Van Fare." Dressed in a lavender dress shirt and pants, he also held a matching coat over his shoulder. His bright blue eyes scanned the students in the room, specifically the females. _Not a bad batch this year, though some could definitely use some improvement…_ The girls in the room had a mutual feeling about him. He stepped back, and cringed as the person next to him practically yelled out his name.

"My name is Harry Williams!" He said, his face completely nervous. It seemed that Chad wasn't the only that hated attention. He had short, spike brown hair with a red headband covering his forehead. His eyes were a dull brown, and he wore blue jeans, a red t-shirt and a royal blue vest. "Very pleased to meet you!" This person seemed incredibly average. So average, in fact, that the entire class practically forgot his name when he was finished speaking.

Dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, the fourth raised his fist into the air. He had spiky black hair and hazel green eyes. "I like Fighting!" He yelled out. Van and Harry took a step away from the strange person. The person in gray looked at them as if they were weird, and something clicked in his head. "Oh! I like Fighting Pokemon! I like the Fighting type! In short, I like fighting Fighting Pokemon!" And oddly enough, he didn't give out his name…

"Um… yes…" Levid looked rather uncomfortable with this years cast of proctors. _These guys were the best proctors the Dean could find? I'm thinking maybe he should get a psych evaluation. Along with these weirdos…_ "Well, I'm going to pass out your test now…"

"And don't forget to write your name down on the test!" Ironically, this was the one that forgot to give his name…

---------------

_Something's wrong here… _Vinny thought to himself while tapping his pencil on his desk. _The first ten questions have passed by, and I've been able to answer them all. Keep this up, and… _He read the eleventh question. _"The fastest Pidgeot recorded was able to break the sound barrier at full speed. Assuming the Pidgeot is using a standard _Quick Attack_; predict the approximate damage it would inflict if it fully connected with an enemy Haunter." Wait… _He remembered when his virtual Machop used Mega Punch on Ronald's Froslass. Scribbling down the answer to the trick question, he had a slight smile on his face. _I guess you really DO learn from your mistakes! _Upon reading question twelve, however, his smile quickly faded. _"Plusle and Minun are known for their effectiveness in Double Battles. Taking Loudred's individual characteristics in mind, name one way that an individual Loudred could disrupt Plusle and Minun's mutual power boost." And what was a Loudred again…?_

_-----------------_

Flipping her test over, Kelsey placed her pencil on the back of her test. She looked at the clock in the room and grumbled. Twenty-three minutes to complete the test. Standing up, she walked to the front of the room to turn her test in. On her way, she checked up on how the others were doing. Vinny was scratching his head furiously, the eraser on his pencil nearly gone. Derek seemed to be taking the thing calmly, but it looked like he was only on the first few questions. Alli and Thomas were too far away to take a glance at, and when she looked towards Ronald… he wasn't there.

_He finished that fast!? _She thought as she turned her test into Levid's desk.

"Please proceed to room 209," Levid whispered. "Your proctor for the second and third part will give you instructions soon." She nodded, and exited the room. She took a left, and headed three doors down to her respective room. She opened the door, and immediately heard Ronald's voice. It seemed that he was quite upset about something. She decided to listen in what was going on instead of interrupting.

"Monday night you show up, as well as those thugs' attempted break-in. After they set off the overnight security system, they run away and plan to infiltrate the Academy the next day. On Tuesday you come to the Academy because you were offered this position, and conveniently stay on the rooftop for the day. By the time you take down one thug, the police arrive and you escape. Am I right so far?"

"And on Wednesday I'm repeating the same actions as the day before. You aren't going to accuse me of setting up that Pinsir attack and solving it just to win the trust of the students, are you?"

"I wouldn't put it below you, if that's what you're implying." Kelsey stepped at that time. Chad and Ronald were staring each other down, a flicker of utter hatred in Ronald's eyes. She could only guess that Chad had the same feelings for Ronald. They finally noticed her, and then they looked back at each other.

"You catch that baseball game last night?" Ronald finally asked. Chad nodded as if he understood.

"Yeah. Looks like my team lost again. It's a shame, too. I placed some money on them last night…"

"You really should stop taking such gambles, or you could end up in trouble…" If this was some sort of elaborate code they were now talking in, Kelsey sure couldn't understand it. But she understood that something was going on between them. But she had a feeling they wouldn't tell her even if she asked.

----------------

The next person to walk into room 209 was surprisingly enough, Thomas. Walking in with a confident smile on his face he waved to Kelsey, Ronald, and Chad.

"Hey! Looks like the two of you breezed through it pretty quickly! I guessed for about half of the questions, but that test didn't seem as hard as it sounded!"

"Obviously," Kelsey and Ronald said in unison. The banter seemed to grate Chad's nerves.

"Oh? You're in charge of the rest of our exam?" He then asked. "What are the odds?" Chad merely shrugged.

"Small world," He answered quickly. Thomas gave a slight yawn, and sat down in a vacant seat in the empty classroom.

"Well, I wonder how long it's gonna take the others…"

"How much longer will the test take?" Ronald asked rhetorically.

------------------

With only five minutes to spare, Vinny turned his test into Mr. Levid.

"Room 209," Levid simply stated. "Three doors down to your left. Try not to get lost."

"Go to hell," Vinny muttered under his breath as he walked out the door and towards the room. Opening the door, he found Thomas saying something and laughing a little afterward. Kelsey seemed a little put out by it, and both Ronald and Chad stayed silent. It seemed both of them were incapable of laughing.

"Well, nice to meet you, um… Ian, was it?" Chad seemed to give him a glance of anger, and Vinny decided to back off. _This guy has less patience than Ronald…_

"So how'd you do?" Thomas asked, "Personally, I thought that the test wasn't all that bad. Definitely not worth studying an entire week for!"

"Shut it…" Kelsey replied, trying to hold back an explosion of anger. It seemed that she somewhat agreed with Thomas, however.

"Easy for you to say…" Vinny replied, scratching the back of his head. "I was doing good the first few questions, but I blanked out for the rest…" It was then that they heard some shuffling down the hallways. The test was finished, and students were forced to leave. Among the group of eight or so students, Alli and Derek proceeded over towards room 209. Both looked fairly dissatisfied, though there reasons couldn't be anymore different.

"Well, looks like I wasn't able to quadruple-check my test after all," Derek confessed with a slight smile. "But overall, I felt that I did pretty well!"

"I still had three questions to go…" Alli admitted "But… I… uh… check my questions after I answer them, so I'm sure that everything will work itself out! Only three questions, right?" Derek and Alli noticed the proctor, simply staring at them like he was waiting for them to shut up. He looked over at Alli with faint recognition, but couldn't quite place where he saw her before.

_This is horrible… He totally recognizes me being rude to him last week! And this guy definitely looks like the type to hold a grudge… But the fact that I can't see his eyes completely creeps me out…! _Amidst these thoughts, Alli gave a gentle smile as greetings. Chad seemed to ignore it completely.

"Everyone's here, right?" He counted the group and nodded. "Be at the Viridian Park South entrance at noon tomorrow. I'm not giving you any of my food, so eat your lunch beforehand. Goodbye." He promptly walked past the group, and walked out of the room.

"That was… rather rude," Derek exclaimed, still staring at the door.

---------------------

"So what did you think you got on the test?" Vinny asked, walking on the sidewalk with his hands behind his head. His backpack was much heavier than usual, and walking that way was the most comfortable.

"A perfect score, of course," Kelsey replied. "What about you?"

"I wonder…" Vinny replied. "I did the best I could, but I actually have to admit that if it weren't for Ronald's drastic methods, I probably would have done much worse…" He shrugged the horrifying experience off. "So tomorrow's the day we get to see our Starter Pokemon, huh?"

"Yeah," She replied. "And you get to keep it if you pass this exam… And you have to capture another Pokemon, too. I've never done that before, so I wonder what it's like," She looked at Vinny's bag. "By the way, why are you following me home? And what's with the bag? Don't think you're staying at my place just because it's close-"

"Relax!" Vinny said with his hands up. "I'm going to stay overnight at the Pokemon Center to see Czar, plus it's a lot closer to Viridian Park," He took a few steps back, getting ready to cross the street. After he crossed, he broke out into a run.

"If he's awake, I'll tell Czar that you said 'hi'!" He yelled out as he ran off. Kelsey resumed walking home, shaking her head.

"All you had to do was just ask…" She muttered under her breath. "Idiot…"

-----------------

"Good morning!" Vinny said cheerfully, despite the current conditions. Several nurses told him to quiet down, and he simply waved him off. Lying on a hospital bed was a Charmander with a cup much like the one he had to cover his flame.

Though he was still unconscious, Czar's recovery was going along relatively swell. Though it wasn't quite normal size yet, the flame on the tip of tail was only getting larger, and most of his minor injuries were already healed. There was still the injury in his gut concerning when the Pinsir thrust his horn right into Czar, but though there would be a scar, it wasn't life-threatening at all. The doctors told Vinny that he'd probably be unconscious until his tail flame was at normal size. Since it reflected his life force, Czar's body was pretty much shut down in order to restore the flame.

"Well, I'm gonna head out for the second part of my exam. Wish me luck!" Just as quickly as he entered, he exited the room.

"_Char…_" Czar replied after he left. No one knew if he actually responded to Vinny, or he was just talking in his sleep.

---------------

"Well, who looks like the little panda today?" Ronald had to restrain himself not to punch Thomas. Ronald, Thomas, Alli, Kelsey, Vinny, and Derek were all waiting for Chad to arrive. Even though there was still ten minutes before he was late for the time he set himself, they were concerned for his lack of punctuality. Even so, it meant that Ronald had to endure the others for ten more minutes.

"Shut it!" He snapped back, closing his eyes to block off the others. It only revealed near black skin around the eyes. Thomas's depiction of "panda" was fairly accurate. "I didn't take any naps at all yesterday, so I'm a little tired! Sleep deprivation affects me a lot worse than you guys, so be quiet!"

"Oh, sorry!" Thomas said, stepping back to avoid confrontation. It was just then that he saw Chad walking towards them holding a small box. Beside him, his Eevee was trotting along happily. To the furry Normal type, it was just a walk in the park.

Halfway in between Pallet City and Viridian City, was Viridian Park, formerly known as Route 1. Since most people passing in between the two cities weren't Trainers, they cleared the area of all the tall grass and built a Pokemon and human-friendly park. The South entrance was the entrance nearest to Pallet City. Passing by everyone in the group, Chad set the small box on a bench, and Eevee jumped on top of it, as if guarding its contents.

"These are your Starter Pokemon," He explained. "I had them all in order to give to the correct person, but they got mixed up when I dropped it. So you're probably not going to get the right Pokemon you were supposed to. Doesn't matter, though." The six simply stared at him, confounded by his actions and little speech. Chad paid it no mind. "Anyways, I'm not supposed to say this, but there's a little announcement to make before I pass out these Pokemon. I took a look at your test scores, and it looks like two of you failed the first part of the exam."

--------------------

**Preview: **

**Vinny**: Hey, you're that "bastard from Chapter 3!

"**Bastard"**: I have a name, you know. It's…

**Vinny**: What are you doing showing up in another Chapter? Aren't you an unimportant character?

"**Bastard"**: I'm out to capture the Pokemon that ripped off that one Pinsir's horn…

**Vinny**: …!

"**Bastard"**: Next time on Generation V…

**Chad**: Shut up, Bastard! You're not allowed in this section! Next time on Generation V: **Crossed Paths**

"**Bastard**: Miss it or…

**Chad**: I SAID SHUT UP!!!

--------------------

**Author's Notes**: And thus the fourth chapter is here. Well, you'll get to see everyone's Starter Pokemon in the next Chapter. Unfortunately, it could take me a couple of weeks to write it due to writer's block and life situations. Anyways, that's all for this section. Anywho, levels!

Chad's Eevee: Not yet, my friend. Not yet.

And that's all for this Chapter. Hope to seeya next time!


	5. Crossed Paths

.sretcarahc lanigiro ym ylno nwo I

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 5: Crossed Paths: The Second Exam!

_Chad set the small box on a bench, and Eevee jumped on top of it, as if guarding its contents. _

"_These are your Starter Pokemon," He explained. "I had them all in order to give to the correct person, but they got mixed up when I dropped it. So you're probably not going to get the right Pokemon you were supposed to. Doesn't matter, though." The six simply stared at him, confounded by his actions and little speech. Chad paid it no mind. "Anyways, I'm not supposed to say this, but there's a little announcement to make before I pass out these Pokemon. I took a look at your test scores, and it looks like two of you failed the first part of the exam."_

_---------------_

_I may not have done as well on that test as I thought I did… _Vinny thought, nearly breaking into a cold sweat. _But if that's the case, all I need to do is pass the other two. Catching a Pokemon may not be too hard, but…_ He looked over towards the other five. _I wouldn't stand a chance in a battle against Kelsey, Ronald, or Thomas. So I just have to hope I go against Allison or Derek… No, I probably won't be able to beat Derek either. Dammit…_

"Anyways…" Chad walked over to the box, and Eevee jumped out of the way before he threw the lid aside. "Catch." He grabbed a Pokeball. He tossed one over towards Thomas, who caught it with ease. He then tossed one to each of the group. When Vinny finally caught his, he noticed a strange mark on his. On the red and white surface, he saw a deep scratch on the front of his, stretching down, barely entering the white half. What's more, it looked like the red color was faded. Compared to the others' Pokeballs, which looked shiny and brand new, this one looked so old the paint was chipping off.

"That's not fair!" Vinny complained. "Why do I get the crappy Pokeball?" Everyone looked the old Pokeball, Ronald and Alli nearly gasping at the sight. He took a sharp glance over at Chad, who replied with a simple smirk.

_Damn it! He ended up blindsiding me! He could assure that the Pokeball was given out due to random selection, instead of going through the normal jargon… Maybe he thinks this is a smart move, but he has no idea just how dumb a move he really made… _

"Stop complaining," Ronald replied, regaining his cool and looking back over towards Vinny. "You just happen to get the crappy Pokeball," As Ronald predicted, Vinny didn't calm down.

"And it just _happened _to be me, huh?" He replied. "Sheesh, I just seem to be the bearer of bad luck or something…" Ronald retorted with a snort.

"Well, if you feel so strongly about it, how about we trade our Pokemon. Since they were pretty much given out at random, then I'm sure there'd be no complaints if we swapped quickly before we even knew what Pokemon was inside. Besides, they say that a damaged Pokeball is an ill omen for Trainers," _And it's a damn good thing I'm not superstitious. _He looked over at Chad to confirm his opinion. Though he was disgruntled at it, he had no choice than to nod approval.

"Hey, if we can trade, what do you say trading with me?" Thomas then asked out of the blue. "I've never heard of that superstition, and if you're first Pokeball ever you ever get is like that, there's gotta be some kind of mystery behind it!" At that time, Ronald wanted to strangle Thomas and his ignorant kindness. Vinny nodded in approval of Thomas's statement.

"Never really thought about it like that!" He replied happily. "I guess I'll keep it and see what kind of Pokemon's inside!" Apparently proud that he solved Vinny's dilemma, Thomas gave a grin and a slight laugh. Meanwhile, Chad had to fight off the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Kelsey noticed the quick glances Ronald and Chad gave each other, and remembered their private discussion from yesterday. She seriously wanted to know what was going on. Alli, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off the Pokeball Vinny was holding.

_I'm not completely sure, but isn't that the Pokeball those five men that invaded the school were after? At least that's what Ronald said…_

"The bitching aside…" Chad then stated. "We all know that tomorrow you'll be fighting one another for the third exam. I've thought up the proper match-ups that would give best entertainment to compensate for me taking this stupid job in the first place." The six sweatdropped when Chad finished his sentence.

"Anyways, here's how it's going to be! In the first match, will be that long-haired guy versus the big guy!" Thomas and Derek looked at each other, and both gave a quick grin. "The next match will be between the little girl and the little boy!" Ronald gave an angry grunt. Alli and Ronald were going to be in the next match. This also meant that the only two left to battle were Kelsey and Vinny. "And I don't think I have to name the other two, do I?"

_Like you could name us, anyway… _Kelsey thought with a hint of bitterness. _But if I'm facing Vinny, then unless he has some sort of giant monsters of Pokemon, I should be able to take him._

_Great… The person I wanted to avoid fighting the most… _Vinny thought, wanting to curse out loud. _But I have to find a way to beat her, regardless! I'm gonna pass this exam!_

"Anyways, I suggest you not reveal your starter Pokemon to any of your teammates," Chad stated. "After all, it would be troublesome if they plotted against you because they knew what was coming,"

As soon as Chad finished, Derek and Thomas gave out a slight chuckle, and pressed the button on their Pokeballs. In a flash of white light, two beings appeared in front of their respective trainers.

"_Growlithe_!_ Growl_!" In front of Thomas was a red-orange dog with black stripes and a yellowish-white underbelly. The dog Pokemon wagged his tail, looking around at his surroundings. He stretched his legs, and sniffed for the human that held his Pokeball. Trotting right in front of him, he simply sat and stared at him silently.

In front of Derek appeared a blue amphibian creature with a large fin on top of his head and tail. He also contained orange fins on his cheeks, and had rather short legs. "_Kip_?" He simply asked, looking right up towards Derek. He looked up at the rather large person, and gave a bright smile. Vinny looked over towards Kelsey, and she grunted.

"The Fire type Growlithe; an extremely loyal puppy Pokemon with an incredible sense of smell and sense of loyalty," Kelsey started. "They tend to be very territorial, and they almost never forget a scent. Because of these qualities, they tend to be very dependable Pokemon to serve the Police. Their incredible endurance and vicious strength are what makes them a top quality Pokemon."

"What are you, and human Pokedex?" Chad blurted out. Kelsey gave him an annoyed look.

"Shut up, I'm trying to explain this to a certain idiot!" She continued her analysis. "Mudkip is an amphibian mud fish Water and Ground type Pokemon, known for its sensitive senses by using its fin and its incredible physical strength."

"So it looks like I've got the disadvantage!" Thomas said without losing his grin. "Oh well! I guess I'll have to think of something!"

"So… Anyone else want to reveal their hands to their opponent?" Chad asked impatiently. "Surprisingly, I have better things to do than hang around here, so if you'll excuse me…" Chad simply started walking away, but stopped. "Oh, and I don't have any empty Pokeballs for you, so if you're going to capture a Pokemon, you'd best get your own."

_That's… gonna be a problem… _Vinny thought. Checking his pockets, he found nothing but a few coins and a piece of lint. _That's gonna be a BIG problem…_

_---------------_

Four hours and one ransacked hut later, Vinny found himself in a bit of a pickle.

"I thought that I'd be given a Pokeball, not that I'd have to scrounge around and try to get the money to pay for one myself…" He muttered. "And the total amount of change I managed to dig was… zero dollars and zero cents…" He lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, maybe I could sell my bed or something. After all, if I'm going off on a journey, I really wouldn't need it…" He heard the screeching sound of wheels from outside his little hut. Rushing outside to see what it was, he saw a white limousine with smoke coming from the wheels stop relatively close by. A man that Vinny recognized as Frank or Wetherbee came out, quickly walking out to the door at the end, but before he could reach it, Alli came out before the butler could open it for her. She stepped back, and the butler closed the door, gave a quick bow, and practically ran back into the driver's seat.

"Umm… thank you…" Alli said right as he went speeding away. Instead of the usual attire, she wore a sleeveless tan and white-striped shirt, a sleeveless hooded yellow jacket left unzipped, and thin khaki shorts reaching down right above her knee. Her normal pigtails were pulled up and covered in a dark brown headband.

"I think you should really try thanking people before they leave," Vinny teased, startling her just the same.

"Oh! Uh… I… Uh…" She stammered.

"I'm not a social expert, but I believe you start by saying, 'hi'," He responded, a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh, uh… hi…" She replied after thirty seconds of stammering. Vinny shook his head for a second.

_This is certainly awkward…_ He muttered, before finally saying, "So what's up? Kelsey send you to spy on me, or something?" Alli shook her head.

"No, she said she wouldn't even bother coming up with a strategy against you…" As she finished, Vinny's eye twitched in irritation. "Oh, sorry! I wasn't supposed to tell you that…!" She covered her mouth. Vinny was getting more and more annoyed by the second.

"Apology accepted…" Vinny replied coldly. "Assuming you didn't come just to bother me, why exactly are you here?" She seemed to be constantly thrown off by Vinny's confrontational behavior. This was quite odd, considering she was Kelsey's friend.

"Well, you don't have a Pokeball, right?" She pulled out a small red and white orb, pressed the button on it, and it opened up with a flash of light. It revealed furry blue-furred, four-legged creature. Other than its neck, the entire front of its body was a royal blue. There were yellow stripes surrounding both of its front paws. Except for the paws, behind the waist was a darker shade of blue, with a yellow star at the end a thin tail. The inside of its round ears was formed into a lightning bolt-shape, and it had a mess of fur pointing out of its forehead.

"_Shi-Shinx_!" He cried out, yawning while unintentionally letting out several sparks as his tail began to glow.

"This is Shinx, my starter Pokemon!" She said, crouching down to pet the Electric Pokemon. When she touched him, she immediately jerked her hand back as she was shocked by the static. "We're still getting acquainted… Wrong Pokeball, anyways…" She recalled her Pokemon into her Pokeball, and pulled out another Pokeball. "Anyways, I thought that since you probably couldn't afford to get one yourself, I should give you one…" She walked closer, and handed him the Pokeball. Vinny took it warily.

"Um… Thanks," He gratefully accepted it, but something bothered him. She let out a sigh of relief when he said it. "Anyways, have you caught your Pokemon, yet? If your driver drove off like that, it means he really hates you, or you're planning on sticking around for awhile."

"Well… I also really wanted to talk to you about the Pokeball you got…"

--------------------

Trying to be as stealthy as possible, Kelsey tried to sneak into the house without being detected. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

"KEEEEEEEELSEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Toppling to the floor, she promptly threw her sister off of her, and stood back up. Before Kelly could counterattack, Kelsey held her head so she couldn't get close.

"Can't you be a little less annoying!?" She replied, heading towards the stairs and towards her room. She then heard something else coming towards her.

"KEEEEEEEELSEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" She was once again toppled over, this time by much larger figures.

"No wonder Kelly acts the way she does…" She sighed as she patted her parents on the head. "Okay, time to let me get up now…" She said impatiently, yet as calmly as possible. The three stood up.

Like Kelly, Kelsey mostly took after her mother, Katherine. Other than the age apparent on the face, the only difference between the two was that Kelsey's mother had a lighter shade of brown hair. They were even the same height. Though she knew was about the average height for her age, she wished she would grow just a bit taller before she stopped. Kelsey could also tell that her mother had been reading, for her reading glasses were still on.

Kelsey's father, Karl, was the oddball in the family. He was just an inch taller than Kelsey, and had short dark brown hair. Like her mother, Kelsey's father also wore rather large eyeglasses, though these were prescribed.

"So…" They said in unison, leaning forward to pressure to Kelsey.

"'So'?" Kelsey repeated, wondering what they wanted. "Oh, that…" She grabbed a Pokeball off of her belt, and quickly released it. Right in between the two stood a mouse Pokemon with dark blue fur on top, and a beige fur on the bottom. Its eyes were narrow slits, and thus it gave off an impression that it was somewhat happy. Its nose was stretched out to a snout, and it shook up and down as she sniffed her surroundings.

"_Quil_?" The Fire type said in a high-pitched tone, almost sounding timid.

"Cyndaquil… the fire mouse Pokemon…" Karl exclaimed. "A rather reserved and introverted Pokemon, they often…" Upon hearing an analysis of herself, she immediately curled herself into a ball. "Do that…"

"Oh, how cute!" Kelly picked up the Cyndaquil and raised her up as high as she could. Unable to curl into a ball, the Cyndaquil started shaking.

"Also, when they're extremely startled or nervous, they'll…" Katherine added. Cyndaquil shot out a burst of flames from her back, causing Kelly to nearly drop the fire mouse Pokemon. "Often do that."

"Oh, she's really warm," Kelly exclaimed. "But she's hard to snuggle with because her back's on fire…" She carefully placed the Cyndaquil back down on the floor. When finally grounded, Cyndaquil began to calm down a bit and ceased the flame.

_I really don't like it when people talk about me… _She thought as she looked up at the three and a half giants surrounding her.

"If you can get past the timidity…" Kelsey started, getting the attention from the others. "Cyndaquil is known for its impressive speed and evasive capabilities, as well as its incredible special attack." Karl and Katherine looked at each other and bowed their heads in disappointment. They frowned upon Kelsey's battle-only analysis.

"What about the other Pokemon you were supposed to capture?" Katherine asked, pointing towards the dirt on the Cyndaquil's feet. "Somehow, I don't think you make your Pokemon run around for no good reason." Kelsey nodded, and pulled out another Pokeball. She recalled her Cyndaquil, before unleashing her other one. This Pokemon was a red and white worm, with a yellow point on its forehead, and two yellow spikes on the end of its rear.

"_Wurmple…_" She said, glaring at the others around him. She didn't give a gentle feeling at all.

"This is just some weaker Pokemon I caught so I could pass the second exam," She explained. This set off the Bug and Poison Pokemon.

"_Bitch, who are you callin' weak_?" She snapped back, not realizing no one could understand her. "_I've got enough venom to take down twelve Wailords in my stinger, and I'll be glad to pump each ounce into your puny human body_!" Because they couldn't understand, no one called her bluff. _Honestly, you're busy sleeping in the woods, and a mouse comes out of freakin' nowhere and tackles and shoots you with a bunch of flame? What the hell kind of fair fight is that? I demand a rematch!_

--------------------

"This is pretty annoying…" Derek said, slumping down under a tree in the forest. "There's nothing here but a bunch of weaker Bug types and Grass types…" The complaining out loud wasn't necessary, but he wanted to make sure the blue Pokemon beside him heard it.

_Still, I guess this session is an important lesson… _He thought, his eyes darkening as he narrowed his eyes into an almost intimidating glare.

_From what I can surmise about Chad Ian, it's likely we'll have to use the Pokemon we caught in battle, whether it is a two stock or double battle I'm still unsure. It would be easier just to capture the first Pokemon I see, but if it's too weak it'll be almost useless in the next exam, but if I go for one that's stronger, I'll risk hurting Mudkip to the point where he won't be at full strength tomorrow. That's also true of the wild Pokemon as well. If I weaken it too much it won't be able to participate in battle, but not weakening it enough would risk wasting the one Pokeball my father gave to me. Then again… _

"_Mudkip_?" The Water and Ground Pokemon started to nudge Derek's leg. Though he was unused to this stranger, like all Academy Pokemon he was taught by his Breeder to be obedient to whoever held his Pokeball. Currently it was this large guy that seemed to be glaring at a nearby oak tree. _Does this guy really hate trees that much_? The Mudkip thought, wondering what could possibly spark off this hate. While staring at the tree himself, he noticed rustling in the trees. Jumping down to the ground, the creature made a perfect landing, giving off a fierce glare at the human and Mudkip.

Light green in color, this Grass Pokemon had a red belly, going all the way up to his chin. Its thick dark green tail smacked the ground, and yellow eyes moved about to analyze the two creatures that stood before him. "_This is MY tree, and eye contact without paying the fee will not go unpunished_!!!" He cried out in a language that only Derek was unable to understand. The mud fish Pokemon was taken aback by the sudden outburst. This Pokemon was none other than Treecko, the Grass type wood gecko Pokemon.

"_Fee_?" Mudkip asked, beginning to stand his ground in case the Treecko attacked. Derek's gaze shifted to the Grass Pokemon standing before him, not looking at all pleased.

"_Yes! One million Sitrus Berries, ten million Oran Berries, and five million Leppa Berries_! _Go out now and fulfill these tasks, and once you have returned I shall bestow upon you my blessing and allow you full access to have this tree in your vision_!" He stretched his arm outward as he said this, and he spoke in a very dramatic way. Instead of appreciating his dramatics, Mudkip nearly face-faulted at the ridiculous proposition.

"A Treecko?" Derek asked, standing up. It was then that the Grass type noticed the size of the human. _Grass types are pretty much devastating for Mudkip, and with that Pokemon's speed, I'm sure he'll be able to get off an attack or two. Even so… _Though he had no idea what the Treecko was saying, he was able to get a general idea of his speech patterns and demeanor. He could tell that the Treecko was quite arrogant, and wanted the two of them to go away for no decent reason at all. _Walking away from this guy would register to him as us running with our tails between our legs. _

He wasn't able to explain it, but Derek was always able to have a general understanding of what Pokemon were thinking if he concentrated. Whether it was psychic readings or incredible intuition he wasn't sure, but it instinctive for him not to let this trait of his to not be wasted. So while wanting to help Vinny and his other friends was the trigger, this was the pull that truly drove him.

"Mudkip," He finally said, looking down at his ally. "I can tell you're slightly annoyed by this Treecko. How about we work together to shut him up?" Somewhat surprised that Derek was able to understand his thoughts, Mudkip hesitated in shock before quickly nodding.

"_Ha! You foolish city commoners would dare challenge King Geck, lord of the Treecko Forest_?" "King Geck" resisted the urge to laugh, and it quickly turned to anger. "_You shall pay for your insolence_!" He charged at an impressive speed right towards Mudkip, but before he could make contact, he saw a tiny red and white orb drop towards the Mudkip. This gave him a slight pause, and that was all Derek needed. Scooping the Grass type in his arms, Derek held him tightly, despite "King" Geck's struggles. The Mudkip caught the orb, pressed a button to enhance its size, and then slapped the Pokeball right towards the Treecko with his tail fin.

"_Wait, the human is making contact, while the Pokemon does the capturing? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around_!?" In his confusion, He was smacked in the head by the Pokeball. The orb opened, and Treecko was suddenly transformed into a red light and sucked right into the Pokeball. Falling to the ground, the ball shook several times before making a pleasant "ding" sound and resting. Derek picked the Pokeball up, unsure of wanting to keep it.

"You know, you'd think you'd be more excited on catching your very first Pokemon, but if your first Pokemon's THIS guy, I wonder…"

-----------------

Though the school was nearly empty at these hours, the woods behind it were open to almost anyway. Through the trees, the sky was a nice orange, typical of a sunset.

"So this is some kind of special Pokemon?" Vinny asked, holding the damaged orb in his hand. "If those guys from the other day would invade the school just to get it… Must be some kind of powerful or special Pokemon inside, like the legendary Rayquaza, or Suicune, or maybe a really powerful Salamence!"

_This guy only listens to half of what you say… _Alli thought, holding a smile despite being irritated. "Or… could it be a dangerous Pokemon that needs to stay in a Pokeball instead of being released into the wild?" She suggested, trying to hint something. But Vinny didn't seem to get it.

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" He cried out, tossing the Pokeball high into the air, pressing the button.

_I swear, he's one of the densest people... _Alli thought as the Pokeball opened up. "I don't think that is a very good idea…" Instead of the normal white light, it gave off a fierce orange flash. Vinny and Alli started suddenly felt an incredible sense of rage, as if the Pandora's Box itself had been opened yet again.

"I have a really bad feeling about this…" Alli said as the light and the feeling started to die down.

"I can't wait to get a sight on my very own…" The light vanished, but a puff of smoke covered the area. "What the heck? What's with the sudden suspense?"

"Ugh… Bulba… saur, saur, saur, saur…" The smoke quickly dissipated, and Alli noticed that the source of the smoke was coming from the old Pokeball. The two looked upon the light blue Pokemon with a green bud on its back. Instead of usual dark spots all over its body, these dark spots seemed more fierce and jagged in shape. He had his eyes closed shut, and he stretched near every part of his body, cracking every joint he could.

"Congratulations… You now have a Bulbasaur!" Alli commented sarcastically, then covering her mouth when she finished. _Oh crap! Did I say that out loud!? _

"Shut it…" Vinny replied, kneeling down to get closer to the seed Pokemon's height. "Hi there, Bulbasaur. Looks like I'm gonna be your Trainer from now on." If he heard it, he didn't show it. The Bulbasaur cracked his neck for a second before glaring at Vinny with fierce orange eyes.

"Saur."

"Umm… I don't quite understand what you're saying… YOW!" A vine suddenly shot out and smacked him across the face.

"I've been cramped up in that Pokeball for over ten years, dammit! What part of "sore" don't you fuckin' understand!?"

"Oh." Vinny said while lying on his back, the talking Bulbasaur thing not quite kicking in yet. "My bad."

He looked at the boy lying on the ground, then towards the girl who seemed to be staring at him in shock.

"So who's the unlucky son of a bitch that released me?" He asked, tapping the broken Pokeball with his vine.

"That would be me," Vinny said, immediately sitting up when he heard it. Though there was a red mark where he was struck, Vinny didn't show any signs of pain. _Sorry buddy, but compared to a certain girl's punches, your attacks are nothing!_ Bulbasaur stared at Vinny for a minute without blinking.

"No," He simply stated.

"What?"

"No," He repeated. "You look like an idiot, and an ass. I'll take her." He walked over right in front of Alli. "She looks like an idiot too, but though it may not be much now, in a couple of years I'll have something to look forward to whenever I come out of my Pokeball." Alli's face immediately became red with embarrassment. "Wait, that's considered a compliment in this day and age, right?"

"Actually, I think that's considered sexual harassment in any day and age…" Vinny retorted, standing up and taking the Pokeball. "Feel free to kick him, Allison. As his Trainer, I don't mind."

"Hey, I just said that you're NOT going to be my Trainer!" the Bulbasaur yelled back.

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and get back into your Pokeball…" Vinny said, pressing the button to recall the Bulbasaur. Unfortunately, all it did was release a puff of smoke. The Bulbasaur gave and evil grin, then laughed. Vinny shook the Pokeball a couple times. "Come on, dammit, work!" He gave it a light punch, and it suddenly shot out and engulfed Bulbasaur in the same fierce orange light.

"Well, shit…" He said right before being sucked in by the Pokeball device. Vinny gave a huge sigh, and held his head. "This sorta sucks… how am I gonna catch a Pokemon when my partner's this guy?" Before Alli could answer, a scream was heard from nearby. Come running into view was someone who looked somewhat familiar.

"H-h-help meeeee!" He cried, something large zooming up behind him. A long blue horn scooped the person up, and threw him clear past Vinny and Alli. He landed face first into a tree, sliding down towards the ground. Alli ran up to the person, while Vinny couldn't help but think about who that person was.

_I've definitely seen this person before. Wait… _"Hey, you're that bastard from the Pinsir incident!" Vinny finally yelled out, the excitement for being able to remember the face rather than the joy to see him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"And more importantly, are you okay?" Alli asked, crouching down to examine the person. He sat up for a second, nodding to her.

"I came here searching for the Pokemon that broke that Pinsir's horn in the first place!" He replied, pointing a trembling finger at the blue horn. It came closer, along with the blue figure it was attached to. With a capsule-shaped body, its arms were incredibly thin above the elbow joint. The arm below became much thicker, with jagged sides and two white claws on each hand. Its legs were fairly muscular, and had a sharp and jagged claw on the tip of its feet. The most noticeable thing, however, was the yellow mess around its mouth. It looked like the bark of honey.

"I-I-I figured that it would be off guard the most when eating, but when I sent my Pokemon to attack, he batted my poor Starly away and chased me this far!"

"That's a Heracross!" Alli exclaimed. Heracross looked at the two newcomers, and looked ready to stand his ground and take them all down. He was caught off guard when Vinny went up to the person he chased off earlier by the shirt.

"You attacked that monstrosity… with a little bird…?" Vinny replied, confounded by the person's dumbness.

"Heracross is dual type Pokemon of the Bug and Fighting type, so it would be natural to use a Flying type Pokemon against him, but…" Alli was trying to explain, but Vinny got the idea.

"That armor looks really thick," Vinny then commented with a bright face. "And he looks so cool, with the cool horn, the jagged appearance, and all the claws!" The other trainer joined in on the excitement, a face just as bright as Vinny's.

"Doesn't he, though? That's why I wanted to catch him so badly!" Alli looked at the two's ridiculous reaction.

_Is this a guy thing… or an idiot thing? Maybe it's both… _Meanwhile, the Heracross seemed to have the same feelings as Alli had.

_Is this a human thing, or an idiot thing? Maybe it's both… _

"So… how are we gonna deal with this thing?" Vinny then asked, looking at the other guy. He shrugged as a response. Then the two of them got an idea, and immediately turned around. "Self preservation comes first. RUN!!!" The two bolted right past Alli, at speeds she was quite impressed with.

"Uhh… wait up for me…!" She said, turning around and following them. Making sure they were actually running, two flaps on Heracross's back opened up, and wings began buzzing. He started to float into the air, and he charged at impressive speeds for his size. He lowered his horn to prevent himself from debris from the front, and was thus unable to see his horns were heading straight for Alli's back.

_From behind! _The words seemed to pop up in her mind, and before she knew it, she stopped and pivoted around to dodge the horn. She then crossed her arms in front of her just as Heracross's body rammed right into them. The impact sent her flying, and she eventually landed right on her back. The Heracross stopped when he felt the impact, and walked over towards Alli, his shadow from the sunset completely towering over her.

"_Oh dear, I did not see you there, dear miss. I did not mean to harm you. Are you alright? I completely apologize for my reckless actions_!" Heracross said in Pokemon tongue, though to the human is seemed like slightly aggressive grunts.

"Hey, pick on someone your own… or at least somewhat closer to your size!" Vinny suddenly cried out, holding the other guy by his hair.

"Lemme go lemme go lemme go lemme go!" He repeated again and again, but no one seemed to notice him. Vinny gave a grin in apology. Alli stood up, and quickly ran over to them.

"Sorry, but I sorta got caught up in the moment and completely forgot you were there!" He let go of the guy's hair, and pulled out the damaged Pokeball. "You stay here and watch this battle! I may not be a Trainer just yet, but I'll definitely show you up!" The other guy did as instructed, surprised at the sudden wave of confidence.

"Okay Bulbasaur, let's do this!" He threw out the Pokeball, and oddly enough, it opened just as scheduled. In a burst of orange light, Bulbasaur's form emerged, and he stood before the Heracross.

"A battle, huh?" The Bulbasaur asked with a grin full of sharp teeth. "Well, even if my Trainer's an idiot, I can't resist a good brawl! Okay, who's the unlucky… oh shit…" he looked up at the giant and turned around and walked right in front of Vinny. He spoke rather quietly. "I gotta talk to you for a second…" Vinny bent down to hear. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING BY SENDING ME OUT TO FIGHT THIS BIG THING!?!?!?!?" Vinny shook from the shockwaves of the screaming, and stood up straight, picking at his ears.

"Don't worry, I know just how to deal with big guys like these!" He said with a confident smile. "Just follow my advice and we'll be sure to win! I've got a plan!"

"You do!?" Alli, Bulbasaur, and the other guy exclaimed in unison.

"Shut up, all of you…" He muttered, confidence slightly shaken.

"_I'm afraid I don't know the whole of the situation, but seeing a Trainer send off a Pokemon against me means you wish to battle. And though I do enjoy an occasional battle, I'm afraid I must get back to my dinner._" The Heracross stated, causing Bulbasaur to turn around.

"What did he say?" Vinny asked.

"He said it's time to either put up or shut up," He translated. He looked up towards Vinny. "Fine, I'll help you out. The way this guy talks really pisses me off!" Vinny nodded in approval, and Bulbasaur ran back to the battlegrounds.

"Then let's get ready!" Vinny said in excitement. _This is my first time actually using a Pokemon to battle. But I'm not gonna lose! _"Okay, Bulbasaur, let's take this guy down!"

"Bring it!" Bulbasaur yelled out towards the Heracross. The Bug and Fighting type lowered his horn, hovered into the air, and charged straight at the smaller Grass type.

"Roll out of the way!" Vinny cried out. Bulbasaur responded by running to the side, and ducking under the blow. The bulb on his back was blown back and forth from the current of air around the speeding Heracross.

"Don't ever tell a Pokemon with a precious plant on his back to roll on top of it!" Bulbasaur yelled back.

"Take him down with any long range attack you have!" Vinny yelled back, apparently ignoring his Pokemon's statement.

"Let's see… this one will do!" Bulbasaur arched his back, pointing the bulb on his back towards Heracross. "_Bullet Seed_!" He fired the many glowing bright green orbs right at the Heracross. However, the Heracross wasn't going to be taken down so easily in his own woods. He flew right behind a tree, the attack blasting off some of the bark.

"Dammit! You just made me blast a tree!" The plant-sympathizing Bulbasaur yelled out in anger. He didn't notice Heracross making his move right at him again.

"Look out!" Vinny yelled, but Bulbasaur couldn't react in time. Taking a hit from the massive Heracross's _Horn Attack_, he was sent flying up into the air. Heracross wasn't going to let it end, however. He chased the helpless Bulbasaur in midair, ready to end the battle in one more blow. Vinny took a quick glance at the surroundings, and yelled out, "_Vine Whip_! Pull yourself away!"

"I was already about to do that!" He yelled out, sending out a vine and wrapping it around a tree's branch. He managed to pull himself out of Heracross's way, but his large opponent wasn't giving up. Taking a bit of time to stop, he gradually turned around to give chase. However, Bulbasaur was long since grounded and ready for Heracross.

"He can fly, but he can't stop very well," Alli suddenly stated. "And he can't make very sharp turns."

"That, and he can't see what he's attacking because his head has to be pointed down to attack with his horn," Vinny added, Ronald and Chad's explanation of the Pinsir incident. He tried to put the three pieces together. "And if Heracross used the trees to help him in the battle, then so will I! Bulbasaur! Use your _Vine Whip_ to swing around in circles around a tree, and make sure that Heracross knows where you're going!" Bulbasaur looked at Vinny like he was crazy, and when he saw a crazy grin on his face, he sighed.

"I don't know why I'm listening to him…" He said, wrapping a vine around a tree trunk, and pulling himself around in circles, several times over. The Heracross managed to predict Bulbasaur's path of movement, and charged right in. Vinny smirked when he realized that he getting lucky.

"Okay, he's heading your way! Make sure you get him!" Bulbasaur released his grip, heading towards Heracross. The single horn Pokemon thought it was odd that he didn't feel any impact, but he didn't realize that the Bulbasaur's back was just inches away from his own at that exact moment.

"Let's try this again! _Bullet Seed_!" He fired the attack right into Heracross's wings, taking a direct hit in the back. As if a fighter jet was shot down, Heracross spiraled around the air, gradually descending. He crashed into a smaller tree, and smashed right through it. Afterwards, he rolled around on the ground and stopped when he smashed into a bush.

"Take that, you big piece of shit!" Bulbasaur yelled out, not realizing the tree right ahead of him. Though he didn't quite smash right through it, he faced a similar crash when he tumbled to the ground. "That's… sorta ironic…" As said as he watched the birds fly around his head.

"Looks like the plan worked!" Vinny cried out proudly. "I got Bulbasaur to shut up, and I took down that Heracross as well… okay…" He stopped talking when he saw Alli and the other guy's continuing glare of disbelief. "Fine, I was just lucky…" He walked over towards Bulbasaur, scooping him up in his arms.

"Hiya, mommy…" The Grass type babbled. "Did you get the license truck of the plate that hit me?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Vinny replied, then walking over towards the fallen Heracross. Setting Bulbasaur down for a second, he pulled out the empty Pokeball Alli gave to him, and threw it at Heracross. Absorbed by the device, it struggled for awhile. The red button on the center was a fierce red, and then finally stopped shaking. "You're mine, Heracross!" Suddenly, the Pokeball started moving again. The Heracross burst out of the Pokeball, shattering it completely.

"_That's not very polite of you_!" He yelled out, truly angry. He lowered his head, and charged straight towards the young one with the Bulbasaur.

"Not cool!" Vinny cried out, ducking down to the ground while covering his head. Heracross flew right past him, smashing his horn right into a large tree. The impact caused even Heracross to stop in his tracks, watching as the tree cracked through completely and crashed right on top of the large insect. By the time Vinny looked around, he saw the Heracross completely under a fallen tree. "I guess I'm… very lucky!" He yelled out, reaching through his pocket for a Pokeball, but finding nothing. "That's right… I'm out… well… shit." He scratched his head, unsure of what to do next. "Bulbasaur's hurt, and I sorta just feel like I've beaten the crap out of a wild Pokemon and wrecked half the forest for nothing…" A Pokeball flew right past him, and engulfed the Heracross once again. The tree crashed down when Heracross was taken by the Pokeball. After a few shakes, the Pokeball stopped, and made the precious ding. Alli walked to it and picked up the Pokeball.

"Hey! No fair! I did all the work and you're just gonna backstab… me?" She walked closer and held it out to him. "Okay, thanks…" He grabbed the Pokeball, and she immediately stepped back, looking a little sad. "Hey, we've got a little bit of time, so if you have another Pokeball…" She shook her head, cutting him off.

"I don't…" She spoke softly. "But it's perfectly fine! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to beat Ronald, anyway. And… I… I was only able to finish half of the test, so it's impossible for me to have passed the first portion, and I know I'll fail the third, so I might as well give u- OW!" She held her nose after Vinny flicked it.

"Get some damn self-confidence," He replied. "There were two people that failed the test, and I'm pretty sure that I'm the other one, and I know that I'll probably lose against Kelsey tomorrow!" He looked towards the Bulbasaur whose head was still spinning. "Both Bulbasaur and Heracross are beat up, and I'm not sure they'll be able to go all against whatever Kelsey brings tomorrow. But I don't give up easily, either. All I need is to pass this second portion, and defeat an opponent I've never been able to beat before. We still have some time left, so we can use it to catch another Pokemon. Besides, I already know where to get another Pokeball! All you need to do is ask a Trainer!"

"I've got a better idea!" The two heard the other guy cry out, his face completely red with embarrassment. He pulled out a Pokeball, and handed it to them. "I just realized… I used my last Pokeball on a Starly I caught this morning… I've never even used it before… so…"

"I thought you said your Starly got beaten up by the Heracross," Vinny answered skeptically. The other guy smirked, and pulled out four more Pokeballs and released them. Four gray and black Starly appeared in the sky, circling them.

"My name… Is Star Lee!" He said proudly. "And to live up to my name, I shall become a great Trainer by using a bunch of Starly! I decided to catch that Heracross because, well…"

"Your Starly won't actually stand a chance against most opponents?"

"Yeah… that's pretty much it…" Star replied nervously. The four birds in the sky overheard this, and immediately attacked their Trainer. Star dropped the Pokeball he was holding and ran off, being pecked to death by his own Pokemon. "Ow! Ow! Sorry! You're not weak! You're not weeeeeeeeeak!" Alli and Vinny simply stared at him as he ran off, then Vinny picked up the Starly Pokeball and tossed it to Alli.

"Well, looks like we both passed the second exam!" He said with a smile. "Isn't that right, Allison?"

"It's Alli," She said after nodding in agreement.

"Yay… power of friendship!" Bulbasaur muttered out, still uttering nonsense due to head injury.

-------------

**Preview:**

**Vinny**: This is it! Derek versus Thomas! Alli versus Ronald! And Me versus Kelsey!

**Ronald**: Twenty bucks on Kelsey.

**Derek**: Me too!

**Bulbasaur**: Me three! Easiest twenty bucks ever made… especially since I'll be fighting…

**Vinny**: I tell ya, with friends like these…

**Derek**: Next time on Generation V: **The Final Exam: Real Battle!**

**Alli**: Please look forward to it!

------------------

**Author's Notes**: Well, Chapter 5 is up much faster than expected. Actually, I wanted to make the chapter longer, but I make sure 12 pages (Arial, 10 pt font) is around my max. In hindsight, maybe I should have made this a two-parter. Anyways, here are the new levels!

Vinny:

Bulbasaur – Lvl 12

Heracross – Lvl 15

Kelsey:

Cyndaquil – Lvl 12

Wurmple – Lvl 5

Derek:

Mudkip – Lvl 12

Treecko – Lvl 9

Alli:

Shinx – Lvl 12

Starly – Lvl 3

Ronald:

??? – Lvl 12?

Thomas:

Growlithe – Lvl 12

Chad:

Eevee – Lvl IT'S OVER NIIIINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAND!!!!!!! Maybe less.

If you're reading this, please feel free to read and review. I'm not going to discontinue the story if no one reviews, but they'll certainly make me feel better… Besides, I like to reply to questions and such. Right now, I'm the self-proclaimed King of Free Time. As for when the next Chapter's gonna come… Well, no clue, actually. I'm either quick with writing battle chapters or not.

Seeya next chapter!


	6. The Final Exam

Will I ever give out a plain "I own only my original characters" bit? Probably not.

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Saga

Chapter 6: The Final Exam: Real Battle

"Cyndaquil, ball up in the air, and upon landing use _Ember_!"

"_Cyndiii…_"The fire mouse Pokemon took a quick charge before leaping up into the air. He curled up into a tiny ball, spun around a bit, and uncurled right before landing. Landing safely on all fours, the flames on his back flared, and he unleashed several small orbs of flame into the air. "_Quiiiiiiiil_!"

"You burn the house down, and I'll take it out of your allowance for the next hundred years!" Karl Richton stated, sitting out on a lawn chair while watching his daughter practice for the third exam the next day. "And it's getting late, so why don't you come inside already? Your mom's already tucking Kelly in," Kelsey shook her head.

"Just because I'm just facing Vinny tomorrow doesn't mean I'm going to go unprepared," She tried to explain. "I've got no idea what kind of Pokemon he received, so I have to make sure Cyndaquil is ready for anything!" Her father sighed as she spoke, and walked closer towards her. He patted her on the head, and walked over towards Cyndaquil. He bent down, and pet her on her head. The feeling made her lose the flames on her back, and she wanted to lie down and relax.

"What did you just do?" She asked in shock, watching the battle-trained Cyndaquil fall helpless. Her father stood back up, and gave her a smirk. Kelsey responded to this by crossing her arms.

"You're telling me you didn't know?" He asked sarcastically. "You could say it's the equivalent of 'scratching behind the ears'. Every Cyndaquil has a certain spot that makes their normally timid nature become calm and relaxed. Now, most Pokemon experts already know this fact, but I guess those that only study the battle aspect of Pokemon wouldn't know such a stupid idea." He gently scooped the relaxed Cyndaquil in his arms, and handed her off to Kelsey. She took her Pokemon, but the Cyndaquil struggled in her not-so-gentle hold. Even so, she managed to find a comfortable position.

"I'll take a little break," She finally conceded. She turned around to walk back into the house, but stopped when her father spoke again.

"You have a couple spots like that, too," He said. "On your sides beneath your arms. I've also noticed that three years ago, you've developed a habit of crossing your arms so you can cover them up." She paused for a second, but walked back inside without turning around. _She used to be just like Kelly is back then. Ever since then, she's become so aggressive and reserved. What on Earth happened to her?_

_--------------------_

Tori wasn't pleased at all. Not only did Derek bring home these two… weirdos home with him, but he forgot to make extra beef stew to accommodate for more people! If it weren't for Jonathan Pierce doing an overnight job, there would only be crumbs for each of them.

"_Only a mere commoner is fit for such a meager meal_!" "King" Geck the Treecko suddenly declared. "_I demand a fitting meal for a king like me_!"

"_Give it up already…_" Mudkip muttered. "_Be lucky you were even released from your Pokeball to eat dinner in the first place…_"

Geck stood up, already offended by the "commoner". "_What_!? _I was only captured because of your treacherous foul play_! _When my strength fully recovers_, _I shall challenge you to a rematch_, _Mudkip_!"

"_What recovery_? _We got you without even giving you a scratch_!"

"_Would the both of you just shut up already_!?" Tori finally yelled out, tired of the two's bickering. "_Both of you just give me my meal back_!" The Torchic looked like she was about to break into tears. "_This sucks, dammit! Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit_!" She was giving quite the fit.

"_And what's your deal_?" Mudkip finally asked.

"_Derek's gonna be a Pokemon Trainer soon… and he won't be around here to cook ever again_!" Thus the dilemma of the Torchic came to light…

"_Hey, where's Derek, anyway_?" Mudkip asked, looking around. Tori stopped her fit to point at a closed door.

"_Derek said he wanted to get some sleep for tomorrow. He must want to beat Thomas really bad_!"

"_So the human is asleep, hmm_?" The Treecko seemed to have something up his sleeve. "_Very well… Commoner_! _I order you to kill the human in his sleep, and freedom will be ours_!" Mudkip and Tori looked at each other, then glared at the Treecko.

"_Yeah… we're going to beat you up now..._"

-----------------

"Your Heracross and Bulbasaur will be perfectly fine. As for your friend's Starly and Shinx… Please tell her not to waste our time giving us perfectly healthy Pokemon." The Pokemon Doctor told Vinny, handing Vinny the Heracross's Pokeball. He had long silver hair, and a deep scar and eyepatch across his left eye. He also had a rough and gruff voice, and Vinny wondered if he was even a doctor. "That Heracross is surprisingly well built, but he did get hit over the head by a tree, so he'll be in and out of it for a couple of days. As for your Bulbasaur... Well… this isn't the first time we've had Pokemon that spoke the human language, but… Could you please tell him to watch his mouth during a simple inspection? He started acting up and offending the nurses, so I had to tranquilize him," He pulled out a handheld tranquilizer, and then shot a male nurse with it. He slumped to the ground in less than five seconds. "All that guy does is hit on the female nurses, anyway. Bulbasaur should be up and around in a couple of hours. Do you have his Pokeball?"

"Umm… sorry…" Vinny apologized. "I just sorta got him today, and haven't had the time to properly scold him for his manners… And his Pokeball sorta… broke…" He scratched the back of his head, and the doctor took it as an apology. "Anyway, thanks for looking over my Pokemon, Dr…. umm… Scar…"

"Just doing my job," He said while nodding. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to perform a life-saving surgery, and it's hard enough to do without any depth perception. Goodbye."

"That's one badass doctor…" Vinny commented when he walked right back towards the cafeteria. Much to his surprise, the table at his booth was already full of empty plates, only crumbs remaining.

"This all you can eat for free thing is really gonna work out for me…" He heard Alli say in a voice that definitely wasn't hesitant or timid, and right after a rather loud belch. He found her leaning back on the seat, her hanging her arms and head over the seat. "Anyways, I better clean these things up before…" She suddenly noticed Vinny standing right next to her. Her face immediately became crimson red, and she suddenly started waving her hands between the space between the two of them. "Umm… I just got a little hungry, and…" Vinny started chuckling at her sudden defense.

"Did you even leave any food for anyone else?" He asked, looking at plates stacked upon plate.

"Of course!" Alli protested, obviously offended. "I'm not a pig!"

"Yeah… I can see that…"

---------------

At the Viridian Park, there were few people playing around at six in the morning. And though he wasn't exactly playing, Ronald was sitting down on the bench they were around yesterday. He caught sight of Chad Ian's black-clad figure heading towards him. "Glad to see you're here early," Ronald said as he walked closer.

"I had a feeling you'd be wanting to talk to me," Chad replied, giving a slight yawn. "But why come here six hours early?" Ronald shook his head, trying to fight off the weariness. He hadn't slept, let alone took a nap for a couple of days.

"Eight hours," He answered. "I've been here since four. And I wanted to make sure I had time to talk to you." He pulled out the Pokeball, and released it right in front of him. A familiar Ice and Grass type stood before him.

"_Snover_!" He cried out proudly, waving to both Ronald and Chad. Ronald quickly recalled him back inside, however.

"Is this entire thing some sort of sick joke?" He demanded, his normally calm and serious voice now sounding completely pissed. "This is all some sort of game to you, isn't it?"

"I thought you'd appreciate the joke of the 'random assignment'," Chad replied with a cocky smirk. Ronald wanted to beat it right off of him at that moment, but even a public at six in the morning was still a public.

"Giving that Pokemon to the one with the least potential and perhaps he'll remain unnoticed, I can understand that much, but you've no idea what you've just done. You need to remember that

potential isn't something that can always be covered up. Just like it is with your eyes, when you really need to, you'll take those shades off and reveal your true eyes, won't you?"

"What are you trying to say?" Chad asked, losing his patience. "Don't tell me you just feel like lecturing."

"I'm saying not to underestimate them," Ronald finally answered. "Some may look like they have potential and some don't, but you can't truly tell until the time comes."

"If that's the case, shouldn't you be more worried about your match this afternoon?" Chad replied with a smirk, turning around and walking away. "I'll be back at noon."

"Now you're underestimating me…" Ronald muttered under his breath.

------------------

"Good boy!" Thomas praised, patting his Growlithe on the head, then scratching him behind the ears. The others simply stared in wonder.

"Is it Trainer and Pokemon, or master and pet?" Vinny asked, and Bulbasaur replied with a shake of his head.

"Saur." He replied grudgingly. _Speaking normally would only get me stares and questions in this situation, but you still owe me BIG time, damn it… _He looked up at his "Trainer" and sighed. Alli gave him a curious look, and he replied by shrugging.

"Hey, what's wrong with wanting to play with this energetic boy?" Thomas asked playfully, getting down on the ground to scratch the dog Pokemon's sides.

"_Growl_!_ Growlithe_!" the Fire type responded by wagging his tail frivolously.

"Shouldn't you be doing less playing, and more training?" Kelsey asked, crossing her arms at the sight. "You don't get to keep that Growlithe if you fail to become a Trainer, you know!" The thought of failing didn't seem to occur to Thomas, and after thinking about it for two seconds, he went back to his casual face.

"Come to think of it, I played with him all day yesterday and forgot to capture a Pokemon…" He said in wonder. "But I won't lose this match!" He gave Derek a slight smile, and he responded by nodding.

"I'm still not going to take it easy on you," He replied, Tori the Torchic sitting right next to his feet.

"Is that your Pokemon you caught?" Vinny asked. Derek shook his head, and held up two Pokeballs.

"No, I'm only watching her today because dad is out for the day and Tori will eat half the fridge if we leave her alone today!" The Torchic pouted at this statement, despite knowing it was true.

"Zzz…" They heard Ronald from the bench. A bubble was deflating and expanding with each snore, and Vinny couldn't help but giggle.

"I found him like this when I came here," Kelsey said, a slight smirk playing on her face at the sight. "He must not have gotten much sleep, since the benches here are pretty crappy," She looked over at Alli, crouching down and looking at the ground. Her back was facing everyone. "Hey, are you okay, Alli? Nervous much?"

"A little…" She muttered. "But… I stayed out late last night, woke up an hour ago. I didn't even have time to change and I feel completely dirty!"

"Heh. It's not so bad once you get used to it!" Vinny commented, and Derek replied by holding his nose. Vinny looked over at Ronald's sleeping face, and walked right in front of him. "But you know, he actually looks like a little kid when you see him sleeping like this…" Ronald's hand suddenly grabbed Vinny's throat, and he gradually opened his eyes. After yawning, he realized that he was choking someone to death, and let go.

"Good morning," He said, giving another yawn, and straightening his face to his usual unchanging scowl. "Sorry, but it's a defense mechanism I developed so people wouldn't mock me in my sleep. Whenever someone close by says 'little' or 'runt' my body unconsciously attacks." His explanation freaked out the rest of the group, until Thomas chuckled a little.

"Sensitive about it, aren't we?" He said, making a couple of others laugh at Ronald's expense. It was then that they noticed Chad walking towards them, this time without Eevee walking beside him. As expected, it was exactly noon.

"Let's get on with the battles," Chad said, not even hinting at a "hello". "And be quick about these battles. I don't want to spend all day watching a bunch of rookies sweating over the opponent using a _Tackle _or _Growl_. Who was first up, again?"

"That would be me!" Thomas said, standing back up after petting Growlithe one last time. "So let's go, Growlithe!" He gave a nod to the Fire type.

"_Growl_!" The Pokemon replied in excitement.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Derek said, holding a Pokeball in each hand. Looking into Thomas's confident eyes, Derek almost became intimidated. _I highly doubt Thomas was just "playing" with his Pokemon all day yesterday. More than likely he beefed him up in some sort of way. So my Mudkip may have a type advantage, Growlithe might have some sort of trick up his sleeve… _

"Everyone ready?" Chad asked, making Vinny, Bulbasaur, Kelsey, Alli, and Ronald back off. "Feel free to go as wild as you want. You can choose either a single battle two Pokemon each, or you can settle things with a double battle. The two of you decide already. And if you don't have another Pokemon, then you're shit out of luck." Derek and Thomas looked at each other for a second.

_By using two Pokemon against his one, I would probably be at the best advantage…_ Derek thought. _With Treecko's speed and Mudkip's power, I could lure Growlithe into various traps… No, that wouldn't work out after all. From the looks of it, Treecko wouldn't get along with Mudkip at all. My best bet would be using Treecko's speed and evasive abilities to scout out Growlithe's abilities and wear him down, then finish him with Mudkip. _

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather do a one-on-one battle," Thomas said after Derek finished his general analysis. Derek then nodded in agreement. _Then he'll use the one he captured, probably his weaker one to gauge Growlithe's abilities, and use the Mudkip to end the battle._ He gave Derek another confident stare, and pointed at Growlithe. "Ready when you are!"

"Okay then, go Treecko!" Derek unleashed his Pokeball, and Treecko soon emerged from the light released.

"_You dare summon King Geck like some common Pokemon!?_" Treecko demanded of his Trainer. The Growlithe across from him suddenly barked, and the Grass type realized the situation. "_I see, you wish to borrow my power in order to defeat this foe… Very well! I shall lend to my strength, but it will come at a price_!"

"_Shut up, already_!" Tori cried out while standing next to Derek. "_Just get on with the fight_!"

"Hey, who has the advantage in battle?" Vinny asked, tapping Ronald's shoulder. He simply shrugged.

"Who knows?" He replied. "Growlithe has the type advantage in this battle, but Mudkip will have the type advantage in the next battle. But if Growlithe can take Treecko down without any serious injuries, it will be a one-on-one battle between him and Mudkip…"

"Begin the battle!" Chad suddenly cried out, interrupting the moment, and silencing the others.

"Treecko, use your speed to get behind Growlithe, then use your _Quick Attack_ and attack from behind!" Derek commanded. Treecko begrudgingly complied, running on all fours past the side of the Growlithe. The Pokemon simply stood there, allowing Treecko to get his back. _He's luring me… _"Treecko, stop the attack!" Derek then cried out.

"_No! I have the enemy's back, and no one can get past my _Quick Attack!" Geck replied, charging straight towards Growlithe. Though it was definitely at high speeds, it still wasn't fast enough to avoid the dirt and sand that Growlithe kicked Geck's way before he made contact. In fact the speed made it impossible for the Treecko to avoid the _Sand Attack_ at all. He immediately jerked back, canceling the attack, and leaving him wide open to attack. "_How dare you kick dirt at my face_! _I shall have you beheaded_!"

"Okay Growlithe, use _Ember _to take this Pokemon down!" Thomas ordered, and the Growlithe replied by spinning around and launching small fireballs right into the unguarded Grass type. Geck was sent flying back right next to Thomas, several burns on his stomach and chest. Even so, the Grass struggled and stood back up, hunching over and holding his gut. Derek wanted to recall him in his Pokeball, but looking into Treecko's eyes, he wouldn't allow it.

"_A King would… would never give up… at minor… injuries like… this_," Geck declared, glaring defiantly at the Growlithe's general shape, vision blurred. Opening his mouth, he delivered a barrage of light green pellets right in Growlithe's general direction.

"_Bullet Seed_," Derek said, having no idea that Treecko could even use that technique. Even so, Growlithe was easily able to dodge the attacks, due to his lousy aim.

"Finish him up with _Take Down_!" Thomas replied. By just narrowly dodging the Treecko's attacks, Growlithe charged with full force and slammed right into his body. Geck was sent flying backwards, but Thomas caught him before he could get too far. Eyes barely open, all he was a blurry face. "You did pretty good, but you were just too careless," Thomas tried to explain to the Treecko.

"_Foolish commoner… put me down… or I'll have you executed…_" Geck replied, closing his eyes and starting to lose consciousness. Thomas immediately heard a growl coming from his Pokemon. It seemed that he was jealous that he was touching another Pokemon.

"I guess they don't call you a territorial Pokemon for nothing, huh?" He said, gently placing down the Grass type. Derek pointed the Pokeball at his fallen Pokemon and a red beam of light absorbed Treecko up and recalled him back into the Pokeball.

"Sorry, Treecko. Tactical error on my part…" Derek said, putting the Pokeball down in his pocket. He looked at Thomas's Growlithe. He had a mark on his shoulder, from when he slammed right into Treecko. Meaning the only damage dealt to him was the one inflicted upon himself. He grabbed his other Pokeball, and threw it out. "Now it's your turn, Mudkip!" Mudkip soon appeared, already standing his ground.

"_Mudkip_!" He cried out proudly. It seemed he already wanted to throw down.

"Looks like Mudkip's ready!" Derek said. "You sure you don't want to throw in the towel and spare Growlithe a defeat?"

"Not a chance!" Thomas replied with a smirk. "Growlithe, let's take the offense with this one! Use your _Ember_!" Growlithe unleashed the flames from his mouth, and Mudkip was ready to defend.

"Just take it, Mudkip!" Derek replied, knowing the flames wouldn't do too much harm to the Water and Ground type. _He's faster, and has just as much attack strength, but Mudkip has the higher defenses. I just need to wait until Growlithe gets in closer to get him!_

"_Just great…_" Mudkip complained, tensing up for the oncoming attack. Taking the various flames, Mudkip didn't like the order given to him in the least. _I could have dodged that, you know!_

"Follow up with another _Take Down_!" Growlithe charged head on, right towards the distracted Mudkip.

"Now! _Water Gun_!" Derek cried out.

"_Finally! Something offensive!_" Mudkip replied, shooting out a stream of water from his mouth. Growlithe stopped in his tracks, and narrowly dodged the attack. Unfortunately, he then began charging again! "Now cancel, use Mud Slap in front of you, and crouch down!" Mudkip shut his mouth to cancel the _Water Gun_. Mudkip then shot out a flurry of mud right where Growlithe was about to charge.

"_Growl_?" Growlithe found himself unable to get a steady grip on the ground while moving at such speeds. He tried to stop, but ended up skidding right towards the Mudkip. As soon as he was about to ram right into the crouching mud fish Pokemon, Mudkip pushed him upward, using his strong muscles to launch Growlithe straight up into the air.

"Now use another _Water Gun_!" helpless in midair, Growlithe couldn't help but take the attack full force. Pushed far away from the Mudkip, Growlithe tumbled to the ground, muddy and wet.

"Growlithe!" Thomas yelled out, concerned for his buddy's well-being. Luckily, Growlithe then stood up, but definitely hurting. He gave a chuckle in relief, and the smiled at Derek. "Like I did against Treecko, you used Growlithe's speed to your advantage! Looks like I can't outsmart you like I wanted to…" He gave a slight grin.

"Does this mean you give up?" Derek asked, returning the smile with smirk. Thomas looked over at Growlithe, and the puppy Pokemon replied by shaking off the mud and water on him.

"I'll take that as a no!" Thomas said. "Growlithe, looks like you're gonna have to use that one technique we worked on yesterday! Get ready!" Growlithe then stopped shaking. He closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed. Then, the water and mud started to evaporate off of his hot body. And all of a sudden, Growlithe burst into flames!

"There's no way…" Kelsey then remarked at the sight. "Is it…"

"_Flare Blitz_!" Growlithe charged straight towards the Mudkip at incredibly high speeds. By using the flames on his body to propel himself, Growlithe took one quick leap after another. Whatever direction Mudkip tried to take to avoid the attack, Growlithe seemed ready to intercept. Eventually, the flaming dog rammed straight into the mud fish Pokemon, sending him skidding across the ground, body smoking.

"_Damn… he got me…_" He muttered before fainting. Derek quickly recalled his Pokemon, and watched in shock as the flames around Growlithe dispersed. With burns all over his body, Growlithe didn't look in very good shape. He quickly collapsed to the ground, and Thomas came running to his side.

"Growlithe…" Thomas said in an oddly quiet and gentle voice, placing his hand on the Fire type's belly. His hand immediately started to burn, but he bore the pain in order to comfort his Pokemon. "Congratulations on winning. I promise I won't make you push yourself so hard anymore…" He recalled his Pokemon and stood up with his usual grin. "Well, looks like it was a draw!" Derek shook his head.

"No, you won," He replied, walking right to the other Trainer. They clasped hands for a second, then pulled back. Vinny, Bulbasaur, Kelsey, and Alli all looked in awe.

"_Derek lost…_" Tori said, holding her head down. "_I make a lousy good-luck charm_!_ Damn_!"

"Then this match goes to Thomas," Chad said calmly. _The strongest Fire type attack Growlithe should know at this stage right now is _Ember_… How the hell did this guy get his Growlithe learn such an advanced technique like _Flare Blitz_, and in one day, no less? _His demeanor hardly reflected his true thoughts. "The next match, please…"

"Do yourself a favor…" Ronald started, catching Alli's attention. "And just give up. You won't be able to beat me with just a Shinx and Starly," Vinny, Bulbasaur, and Alli were shocked at his statement.

"How did he know what…" Alli started, but cut herself off. _That's right… He said he's able to tell what kind of Pokemon is inside a Pokeball if he focuses… so it's really true? _

"Alli," Kelsey said with her arms crossed and a serious face. "Don't listen to him. He's probably just trying to make you nervous!"

_Well it's definitely working…! _Alli replied mentally. "Ronald… I… I really wish I could afford to make things easier and just give up… but…" She stood up straight and tried to give him her best stare. "Even if it means me receiving the beating of a lifetime, please prepare for a battle…" Ronald glared at her for a few seconds, wondering if she was going to back down. Though she was still a little shaky, she did her best to stand firm.

"In that case…" Ronald said, getting out of the bench. He gave Alli another fierce glare, then turned around. "I'll forfeit." Everyone there suddenly face-faulted.

"Wh-what?" Alli asked, completely confused.

"Your little monologue has ruined my mood, so I don't feel like battling much today. Besides, I've already passed the first two exams, so there's no point in continuing now that I'm guaranteed on becoming a Trainer," He gave a glare right towards Kelsey. "And I'm not one to interfere with or delay someone's journey just because I'm obsessed with perfection," With that said, he walked away, passing Chad along the way. He made sure to whisper. "Sorry, but I'm not going to let you observe my battling skills today. If you won't trust me, then there's no point in trusting you. You're on your own." Chad gritted his teeth as he walked away, wanting to clench his fists as well.

"This match goes to the little girl by forfeit, then," He finally said, regaining a cool composure. "Let's just move onto the final match. Choose between Single or Double…" He was definitely sounding impatient, but it could also be perceived as the desire to leave as well.

"He pisses me off so much…" Kelsey said, tightening the grip on her crossed arms. But what he said also made sense. _It's pretty obvious that Vinny was one of the two that failed the exam. And if he loses this battle, then he would have failed it entirely… _

"Hey, Earth to Kelsey!" Vinny suddenly cried out, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"What do you want?" She replied angrily.

"Just wanted to let you know that if you take it easy on me and I win, I'll never ever let you live it down," He said casually. "Now, you want a single or double battle? Either one's fine with me,"

"Like I'd ever let you win! And a double battle's fine with me!" The two started to walk away from each other, getting a bit of distance between them. Vinny nodded to Bulbasaur, and he stepped right in front of him. Kelsey released both of her Pokemon at once, white lights emerging from each hand. Cyndaquil and Wurmple emerged side-by-side. "These are my Pokemon!" She proclaimed. Vinny nodded towards Bulbasaur, and he stepped forward.

_That one doesn't look so bad… but I hope the other one's not so scary… _Cyndaquil said. _I don't like scary creatures…_

_Aww yeah! Time to get this party started! Hell yeah! Let's get ready to rumble! Bring it on! I'm ready! Let's go! _All of the Wurmple's thoughts were approximately in the time span of one second.

"As you can see, this is Bulbasaur," Vinny explained. "As you can see, nothing too special. Just your average, everyday Grass type Pokemon…"

"Like hell I am…" Bulbasaur muttered under his breath.

"And the other one is… Heracross!" He released the large Pokemon, everyone watching in shock as the large Pokemon appeared before them.

"_Why is everyone staring_?" The Heracross wondered, glancing over towards Bulbasaur. "_And what may I ask is going on_?"

"_That idiot behind you is using us to clobber the Pokemon of the girl. It's two-on-two, so I'm stuck fighting with you…_" Bulbasaur answered in his native tongue. Heracross looked over towards his opponents. The Cyndaquil was starting to shake in nervousness, and the Wurmple looked excited. Heracross then waved to the "idiot" behind him.

"Uh… Hi…" Vinny replied by waving, taken aback by the Heracross's behavior. _Please tell me he's able to fight… _He thought, wondering if the hit in the head yesterday was really affecting him.

_I didn't expect him to have such a strong Pokemon like Heracross... _Kelsey thought, wanting to bite her lip due to the pressure. _I didn't think that he was even capable of it, but I guess even Vinny has his share of luck… This will be tougher than I thought…_ "Cyndaquil, Wurmple, get ready!" She called out, more to assure herself than her Pokemon.

"_O-Okay… but such a scary-looking Pokemon…_"

"_What the hell do you think I've been waiting for!?_"

"Begin the battle!" Chad finally yelled out after the tension couldn't get any thicker.

_Cyndaquil's a Fire type, so I should take her out quickly before she can do some damage!_ "Heracross, use _Horn Attack_ on the Cyndaquil!" Vinny yelled out. Heracross suddenly floated into the air, and charged straight in. Bulbasaur looked back over towards Vinny, but he replied by shaking his head.

"Cyndaquil, jump on the end of Heracross's horn!" Kelsey commanded. "Wurmple, stand by to intercept Bulbasaur if he makes a move!"

"_Damn it_!" The Wurmple yelled out, but obeyed. Cyndaquil started to shake nervously, and she unconsciously flared up the flames on her back.

"_Here goes_!" Cyndaquil yelled out, jumping into the air right as Heracross would have made contact. Cyndaquil gripped the end of his long horn with all fours, making sure she had a steady grip. Despite Heracross's attempts, his arms weren't long enough to reach to the spot Cyndaquil was holding so dearly onto. After trying to swing his horn back and forth, he realized that Cyndaquil wasn't coming off easily.

"Not good…" Vinny muttered. He nodded over towards Bulbasaur. "Heracross, try to stay still for a second! Bulbasaur, use _Vine Whip_ to smack Cyndaquil right off of Heracross's horn!" _She'll get thrown into the air, and Heracross can take her out then!_ Bulbasaur immediately ran in and extended his twin vines, both of them stretching right towards Cyndaquil. Wrapping around the flaming Cyndaquil wasn't a good idea, but just smacking her would do the trick.

"Wurmple, use your _String Shot_ to block off Bulbasaur's attack!" Kelsey responded. Wurmple shot out a stream of white silk, sticking right onto Bulbasaur's vines. And for good measure, Wurmple shot a little on the ground and crawled right into it, sticking herself right into the ground. "Cyndaquil, use _Ember_ to torch Heracross's back!" While still holding onto Heracross's horn, Cyndaquil shot the flames right onto Heracross's back. Much to the Bug and Fighting type's dismay, a small fire started to take place there afterwards. Running around helplessly, Heracross couldn't put out the fire on his back. Cyndaquil jumped off of the flailing Heracross, and after rolling in midair, she gave a perfect landing while simultaneously unleashing another _Ember _barrage right in Heracross's chest. The colossus fell to the ground, thankfully dousing the fire on his back. Even so, the Pokemon wasn't getting up any time soon.

"I thought that Heracross was supposed to be a lot stronger than that…" Alli commented. Derek simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Not when he wore himself out like that," He tried to explain, or at least his hypothesis. Meanwhile, Bulbasaur was simply jerking back, trying to free his vines. "I really can't speak from experience, but you have to have a pretty sensitive sense of balance when you have such a long protruding horn like that. So when even a creature as small and light as Cyndaquil gets on there, he freaked out when his sense of balance was off. He wore himself down, and later dropped his guard when Vinny told him to stand still. He then proceeded to wear himself further when running around on fire. All it took was one solid blow to take him down.

"So I guess she really didn't need to prepare…" Alli marveled. When Vinny caught Heracross yesterday, she was actually thinking that he stood a chance. But now that his trump card went down the drain, it seemed was going to lose, after all. She looked as Vinny started to panic and recall his Heracross. Now it was only a two-on-one.

"Mmm… I'm not so sure about that…" Thomas said, sitting beside her. "That little stunt that Cyndaquil did at the end looked like it needed a little bit of practice. I know my Growlithe couldn't do such a thing!" Derek gave a slight chuckle at his statement.

"No, he can't master that technique… He can only master _Flare Blitz _in a day…"

"FINE!!!" They suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice cry out. The source was coming from… the Bulbasaur!? "If pulling won't work, I'll just push my way through!" He charged the Wurmple, smashing the Bug and Poison type with a fierce _Tackle_.

"Umm… I'll pretend I didn't hear that…" Derek said with his eyes wide open.

"_Well, crap_!" She yelled out as she was smashed by the rampaging Bulbasaur. She inadvertently bit off her string, though Bulbasaur's vines were still a tangled mess.

"Cyndaquil, use _Ember_!" Kelsey ordered, pointing straight towards the Bulbasaur.

"_Quiiiiiiil_!" She gasped, sending out the various small flames towards the Grass type.

"Bulbasaur, try and dodge…"

"SHUT IT!!!" Bulbasaur yelled out, throwing his tangled vines to block the flames. Luckily, the string caught fire faster than his vines, and Bulbasaur managed to shake off the burning silk. Though they were singed, Bulbasaur was able to block the _Ember_, and better yet, was able to use them once again. Even so, he retracted them for later use. "I've got better things to do than play along with your stupid little game!" He immediately began charging straight forward, towards the Fire type. "If you want to win, then let me do my own thing!" His orange eyes contracted, and blood vessels started to pop.

_I've gotta stop his movements… _"Cyndaquil, use _Leer _and stop him in his tracks!" She yelled out. Cyndaquil then face a fierce glare right towards Bulbasaur, his presence becoming unusually frightful.

"FUCK YOU!!!" The Bulbasaur hoarsely screamed, completely ignoring the glare and fearlessly continuing his charge. Ramming right into Cyndaquil, she was sent rolling back, eventually holding her ground once again.

"Cyndaquil… use…" Cyndaquil instinctively flared up her flames and shot out another _Ember _attack right at the Bulbasaur. As much as she wanted the help, Bulbasaur wasn't giving Kelsey enough time for orders.

Simply taking the attack, Bulbasaur charged right in, ramming Cyndaquil once again. When Cyndaquil stood back up, she saw two bruises on Bulbasaur's head where he so recklessly rammed her, and a few burns from her _Ember_.

"Bulbasaur, cut it out!" Vinny yelled out angrily. Completely ignoring his Trainer, Bulbasaur shot out several light green pellets, the _Bullet Seed_ flying right at Cyndaquil. She countered by rolling over to the side and jumping back to gain some distance. Growling in anger, Bulbasaur charged recklessly towards Cyndaquil once again. Though she tried to flare her back, only a small fire with black smoke came out. Vinny raised his hand and looked to Chad. "I give up!" He announced.

Bulbasaur suddenly stopped his charge, skidding right in front of Cyndaquil. His eyes expanded to their normal size, and he looked right at the Cyndaquil. "Uh… I sorta lost my temper there… whoops…" Unfortunately, that was the best apology he could offer. The Cyndaquil replied by collapsing in exhaustion. Kelsey quickly recalled her, and gave a sigh of relief. Chad then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Since Vinny gave up the same time Cyndaquil was unable to battle, I'll ignore the forfeit and consider Bulbasaur to be unable to battle as well," His declaration shocked pretty much everyone. Definitely not the announcement they thought they'd hear.

"So… it's a draw?" Vinny asked, a slight smile ready to play on his lips.

"Therefore, I announce that this match goes to Kelsey, who still had one Pokemon remaining and fit for battle!" He pointed over towards the Wurmple, while still stuck in her own string, looked around in excitement.

"_Damn straight_!" She replied proudly. "_Hell yeah_! _I rock_!" Kelsey shook her head at Wurmple's strange little victory dance/wiggle and recalled the Pokemon to her Pokeball. Vinny on the other hand, simply fell to his rear and lied back down on the grass.

"Damn…" He said as calm as he could. Bulbasaur quickly went to his side, unsure of what to say.

"Then what the hell was the whole thing about?" Kelsey demanded from Chad. "Why not just accept the forfeit." He replied by shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, if I accepted his forfeit, then he'd be a quitter," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You make no sense…" Kelsey replied, walking right past him and standing right over Vinny. "As for you, get up off your butt and let's leave," She seemed to be saying this all begrudgingly. "I'll treat you to dinner later, in exchange for crushing your chances of becoming a Trainer,"

"Gee… What a fair deal…" Vinny replied smugly, taking her hand and lifting himself up, nearly throwing her down in the process. "Wait, you're not going to cook, are you? That would be more like adding insult to injury… OW!!!"

"Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur said, looking up at Kelsey. She glared at him for a couple seconds, kneeled down, and poked him in the eye. "Gah, what the hell was that for…! Shit…" Kelsey looked over towards Vinny.

"I've never heard of a Bulbasaur that could talk human language, and it's incredibly rare for most Pokemon in the first place… What's the deal?" She asked, standing straight up. Vinny shook his head and sighed.

"I'm not sure, but lately I've been wishing he wasn't able to talk like this…" That got laughs from nearly everyone. Chad stepped forward and cleared his throat again.

"You'd best get all your Pokemon to the Pokemon Center," He advised. He pointed at Vinny and the Bulbasaur. "And you better get used to the talking Bulbasaur, too. I don't recall saying that you ever failed the test portion. Seeya." He then casually walked away, ignoring any comments made at him.

"So… I passed the damn thing?" Vinny asked, unable to catch a breath. "So… I passed the exam!? I'm gonna be… WHOOOOHOOO!"

"Hey, quit yelling in my ear!" Kelsey replied angrily.

"Wait… If Vinny didn't fail…" Alli began softly. No one seemed to hear her. "And me aside, who was the one that failed…?"

----------------------

On the fourth day, Vinny, Bulbasaur, Alli, Thomas, Kelsey, and Derek had to fight their way through the crowd in order to see the list that told the test scores. Derek's size helped a great deal.

"Let's see… Kelsey Richton… 100 Points, as expected," Derek said. "Next is… Thomas Cain… 94 Points?" Thomas simply grinned when everyone looked at him. "Derek Pierce… 89 Points…" He gave a slight smile as he read it. "Vincent Elias… 82!" Vinny wanted to jump up in excitement. But was afraid he'd land on Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur simply sighed at the fact that this guy was officially his Trainer. Derek moved his finger further down the list. Much further down. "Allison Black… 47 Points?" She lowered her head to avoid eye contact with the others. "So that leaves… Ronald Friese at…" He lowered his finger to the very bottom. "0…"

--------------------------

**Preview:**

**Vinny**: On the next Generation V, we meet a strange kid…

**???**: _Pika_!

**Vinny**: Despite being only eleven years old, he really knows what he's talking about.

**???**: _Pikachu_!

**Vinny:** And what's more… our Graduation begins! So get ready for the next chapter of Generation V and the end to the Academy Arc!

**???**: _Pika-_

**Bulbasaur**: Oh, hell no! I'm the mascot in this story, dammit! Get the hell out of MY story!

**???**: _Pika…_ *Cries*

**Vinny**: Next time on Generation V: **The Prodigy and Graduation!**

**???**: _Pikachu!_

**Bulbasaur**: Diiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

----------------

**Author's Notes**: Well, here's Chapter 6, up much faster than I expected. It's mostly because I never plan out the actual battles in the chapter, and I just make them up as I type them. Thus, I either have a very hard time writing them, or they come very easy. Anyways, when the next chapter was referred to as a "Special", it means it's going to be considerably longer than a normal Chapter. This is mostly because I feel it's necessary to make it all one chapter, and not split it up as a two-parter. Anyways, that's all I've got to say. Enjoy the next Chapter!


	7. The Prodigy and the Graduation

I don't own the characters I didn't make up. Let's just put it that way.

**Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V**

Academy Arc – Conclusion

Chapter 7: The Prodigy and the Graduation!

One hour after Thursday turned into Friday, the citizens living around gave off several complaints towards the woods in Viridian Forest. There, several trees were severed from the ground, small craters were indented into the ground, and wild Pokemon were scattering around everywhere. The result of this destruction was one tuckered out Eevee.

"You were still shy about two steps," Chad told his panting Pokemon. "Do it again, and try to do it at least twenty percent faster." Eevee nodded after taking a breath, and sped towards the nearest tree. Running up it at high speeds, he launched himself high into the air, flipping around once. Eevee's tail glowed a fierce white, and the small Normal type smashed his tail on the ground, sending the debris of earth and stone around him. Eevee's tail ceased glowing, and he spun around in circle, sending out the earthy debris all around him. Eevee nearly collapsed afterwards, tired out from the constant repetition of the fast movement and powerful blows. No matter how strong of a Pokemon you may be, you're bound to be tired out after twenty or thirty times.

"I said twenty percent, not twelve," Chad criticized, Eevee quickly dropping his head. Chad walked up towards his furry friend and crouched down. He noticed the sun coming up, and gave a slight smirk. "But we'll be done for the night. Get some sleep, because we're going to go again tonight. First, however, I need to run a few errands." He recalled the weary Pokemon and looked up at the brightening sun. It was then he noticed the massive amount of destruction around him.

-----------------

When a traveling Trainer is passing through a town or city, they have one of two options for lodging. The first is to stay at an inn. Though it can be pricey at times, most inns have a discount service for Pokemon Trainers. After all, a Trainer can only stay in one place for so long, so the more Trainers that stay at an inn, the more rooms will be available at any given point in time.

The second option is to stay at a Pokemon Center. The Pokemon Center gives free lodging and meals for Trainers, as well as free medical service for their Pokemon. With everything free like a computer lab, telephone services, and some of the larger Centers had entire floors for battling and trading Pokemon. Unfortunately, with no cost, the quality of the sleep and food is much lower than when staying at an inn.

Due to personal convenience, for the past few nights Vinny had been sleeping over at the Pallet City Pokemon Center. Friday was no exception. After the sun rose, Vinny somehow woke up without rolling out of the top bunk. He struggled down the cold metal ladder while half-asleep, noticing that Bulbasaur was already up and awake. He was pointing the bulb on his back over to the sun.

"What's that about?" Vinny asked the Grass type. Bulbasaur simply answered with a shrug.

"I'm half plant, and I feel the unusual urge to do this…" He tried to explain. "Besides, I receive most of my attacks from my bulb, so I have to take care of it, or all I'll end up doing is throwing around a bunch of _Tackle_ attacks in battle."

"I see," Vinny grumbled, too tired to actually listen. Slipping on the ladder's bar, he quickly fell down to the floor. Screaming as he fell, he let out a grunt as he landed on his back. This got the attention of the others still sleeping at the Pokemon Center.

"Shh!"

---------------------

"Fucking traffic…" The man said, impatiently tapping his finger on the steering wheel. "Why bother with the fucking stoplight when there's no fucking traffic other than us?" The man had shaggy black hair, and yet was clean shaven. His eyes were a dark green that seemed to make you look away when you even glance at them, and his scowl also had the addition of a toothpick sticking in his mouth. He wore a silk gray suit, with a purple tie. Also, he had a wedding ring, with reddish skin around it. He hated how tight the damn thing was. He had to be in his mid-thirties, and he was already sensitive about his age.

"You really should try to calm down, you know," The younger man in the passenger seat consoled. This one had curly blond hair, wore a dark blue suit with a white tie with musical notes all over it, and had sparkly blue eyes. He sucked on a vanilla milkshake acquired at a local fast food restaurant. "Getting mad at the simple traffic laws like this… It's actually quite pathetic. You should try to think about thoughts that would make you happier."

"You know, you're right… what would make me happier… HOW ABOUT THIS DAMN LIGHT TURNING GREEN!?" As if on cue, the light finally changed in their favor, and he simply stared at it for a second. "Lucky me…"

The two of them were men from completely different regions, and were here on a mission. Whether this mission was for good or evil was still unknown…

----------------

When Vinny finally received permission to go visit Czar this morning, he was getting to be quite grumpy. Tripping down a ladder wasn't the best way to start your day, with the headache and all.

"Fucking waits…" Bulbasaur muttered as the two walked down the many hallways. Vinny long since memorized the path to Czar's room. Along the way he passed a male nurse with a bandage around his neck, possibly from a tranquilizer dart sticking into his neck earlier on in the week. He passed several Doctors trying to make themselves look important. Large pink egg-shaped creatures with eggs in their pouches were moving about, examining the various Pokemon in the room.

"_Chansey_!" The cheerful Pokemon cried out, looking at Bulbasaur all of a sudden, and losing her happy demeanor. It seemed it was Bulbasaur's nature to be disliked by the medical staff.

"What the hell was her problem?" The Grass type wondered, watching her simply rush right past Vinny and him.

"Three doors down… and… We're here!" Vinny came into the room without knocking or anything. Oddly enough, the staff got used to that. "Hey, Czar, I'm back!"

Czar, barely conscious, simply gave him a weak stare. Though he wasn't in any danger, he was often so hopped up on painkillers that he barely knew what was around him.

"_Char…_" He replied weakly, his voice muffled from a respirator attached to his mouth.

"He's saying…" Bulbasaur started to translate, but Vinny cut him off.

"I'd like you to meet Bulbasaur, my Starter Pokemon!" He interrupted, pointing down to the Grass type at his feet.

"Yo…" he simply grumbled, slightly irked by the human. Charmander looked confused for a second, eyes darting back to Vinny and to Bulbasaur.

"_Charman Char_?" He asked, wondering if he was a little too drugged.

"Uhh… Yeah… I can sorta talk different languages…" Bulbasaur answered, scratching his forehead with a vine. "_I only talk like this when I need to call this fucking retard a… well… a fucking retard…_" The Charmander nodded in agreement, already aware of Vinny's shortcomings.

"Uh… tell me about it!" Vinny said with a half-cocked grin, somehow not wanting to be left out.

"_I see what you mean,_" Czar reiterated. After a bit of silence, Vinny finally looked down to Bulbasaur.

"Hey, can you leave the room for a second?" He asked the Pokemon, trying to answer before he could say anything. "I sort of want to tell Czar something… alone," Bulbasaur was about to protest, but when he looked into his nearly pleading eyes, he was thrown off guard. He tried to think of an appropriate response.

"I'm no sap, so that kind of crap doesn't work on me…" Bulbasaur said, turning around. "But it's 'cause I'm no sap that I don't want to be around such an emotional moment. So hurry your ass up and tell me when you're done…" He walked out, stepping into the hallway, facing the cruel glares of the passing Chansey, nurses, and doctors. _What the hell did I ever do? _

Vinny really didn't know how to start. He found a chair, and placed it next to Czar's bed. He examined Czar's flame, grateful that it was its normal size once again.

"I've passed the entry exams, and I'm gonna be a Trainer…" He started, a little nervous when he was talking. He wasn't one for being insecure, and he especially found it despicable when he knew he was being insecure.

"_Char…_" Czar simply said, what Vinny hoped was a congratulations.

"And… I'm going to go off on my own journey soon. I'll probably head off towards Viridian City or something, and go from there. I really would like to take you with me… but… I don't think I'm good enough so that you won't get seriously hurt… I'm not even sure if I'm ready now…" He looked down to the floor, listening to the steady breaths Czar was taking. _At least someone's taking it calmly…_ "Anyways… When I get back from my journey… I promise you that I'll come back and turn you into one of the greatest Pokemon there is! Then you can go wherever you want, whether it's by my side or not!" Czar pretty much chuckled at this idea, slowly reaching his arm up and gently flicking Vinny's face.

"_Charmander… Char… Char, Charmander… Cha_!" Czar said as energetically as possible. Vinny stared blankly at Czar for a few seconds, wondering what he was saying.

"He said 'If you're gonna become stronger, than so will I, yeah!'," Vinny heard Bulbasaur say from outside.

"Thanks…" Vinny said with delight, then something clicked in his head. "Hey, stop listening in, damn it!" His face turned into an angry glare, but it eventually softened up as he faced Czar. "If we're both gonna become stronger, let's make a deal, then!" He said with his usual enthusiasm and energy finally surfacing. "After I leave and head off on my journey, the next time we meet, we'll give it all we've got in a one-on-one match! But I'll definitely capture you!" He raised his fist up, and Czar took his claw and tapped him in the knuckle.

"_Deal_…" Czar said, his eyes beginning to flutter as he involuntarily fell asleep.

---------------------------

"This sucks…" Derek said, slowly walking through his driveway. "Vinny's not home, Kelsey said she was busy, and I don't even know where Ronald, Alli, or Thomas live… I wonder if I could track down Chad… No, chances are he'd refuse me… Isn't there anyone to battle around here?"

"_Torchic…_" Tori muttered, sounding depressed. In actuality, she was just hungry.

"Sheesh… First dad goes missing for the past few days, now I'm stuck all alone, with no one to help me improve my skills…" He pulled out his key, unlocked the front door, and stepped inside.

"CONGRATULATIONS!!!" He heard the booming voice yelled out at the front of the hallway. Derek was nearly thrown down to his feet at the sudden surprise.

"Uh… thanks…" Derek replied to his father. He seemed to have a brighter grin than usual, and he really wondered what it was about.

"You're wondering where I've been for past two days, right?"

"Three days," Derek corrected.

"Whatever. Anyways, that's not really important. What is important is watching TV!"

"Watching TV is important right now… Oh! I completely forgot because of the test, but…"

"Yep…" Was his father's reply.

"_Feed me, dammit_!" Tori interrupted.

------------------------

"So you're finally done?" Bulbasaur asked impatiently, beginning to tap his hind leg on the ground. Vinny nodded.

"Yeah. Czar fell asleep a bit ago, so I figured I'd head out." He looked around a bit. "I'll probably go see Derek. His dad used to be a Pokemon Trainer, so maybe he could give me a few pointers about where to start, what Pokemon to catch, and all of that other stuff…?" The sentence ending with a question was brought out when he saw a crowd being slightly more excited than usual, and many people moving about.

"Sorrysorrysorrycomingthrough!" A kid yelled out, dashing at high speeds in the hallway. Because all Vinny could do was watch, he didn't move out of the way when the kid slammed right into him. "Oof!" The kid was knocked back, but Vinny managed to catch him before he crashed to the ground.

"Hey, watch it!" He scolded, grabbing his arm. "It's not cool to be running around with a bunch of recovering patients around… AGH!" The boy began running at high speeds, simply dragging the larger boy along with him. "What the hell is this about?" He was dragged to the Center lobby, and began to slow down when the kid realized all of the weight he was carrying.

"Channel… Twelve… Please…" He said, jerking Vinny with him after every step. The male nurse with the bandaged neck nodded, and pressed a button on a rather large flat screen television set. The screen flipped to a large Pokemon Stadium Battlefield, rather a large rectangle with a large white circle painted in the center. Two boxes were on the shorter ends, where one man stood in each one.

"Whoa... Pokemon in Hi Def..." Vinny commented, only to receive a few shushes from the general crowd.

"This is Davis Seagull here to report the last day of the Pokemon League World Championship Finals. Where we last left off, both competitors were down to their final two Pokemon. Our competitors, if you don't know are the eight-time World Champion Red Blueman and Jack Edwards, a man that's entered the League World Championship six times, but never before has he been able to make it this far." The camera went to show a dashing young man with spiky brown hair, purple eyes, wearing a thick brown jacket and black jeans. The look in his eyes wasn't cockiness or arrogance, or even confidence. His eyes sparked with pure concentration.

**Finalist - Jack Edwards: 85 Wins, 9 Losses, 0 Draws**

**Pokemon (Remaining, **Defeated**): **Crawdaunt, Tropius, Sableye, Slaking, **Dusclops, ???**

The camera shifted to the opponent, Red Blueman. He had long, spiky crimson red hair, with piercing gold eyes. Ronald's glare was a mere sewing needle compared to the dagger that was this man's glare. He wore a crimson red vest and blue jeans, actually quite plain clothes.

**Finalist (Reigning Champion) Red Blueman: 418 Wins, 0 Losses, 0 Draws**

**Pokemon (Remaining, **Defeated**): Armaldo, **Breloom, Milotic, Aggron, Claydol, **Salamence**

"Funny name aside, that guy has quite an impressive record…" Vinny exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

"It's an alias," The kid that dragged him here explained. "He probably comes from a small and quaint town, and doesn't want to attract so much attention there," He never took his eyes off of the screen. "A Champion tried that method before, but word eventually got out, and because of it, Pallet City went from being a calm and peaceful town to the bustling place it is…" He was going to say something else, but the Trainers both unleashed their Pokemon. On Jack's side was the Dusclops. On Red's the Salamence.

---------------------

Being the eight-time World Champion, it was nearly impossible not to know who Red Blueman was. For eight years, he has been considered the World's strongest Trainer. Despite the fame and title, he hated every bit of it. Not once did he ever do a special press conference, or ever accepted the offer for a commercial. The only reason he even entered the highly publicized Tournaments was because it attracted some of the strongest Trainers. He couldn't care less about the lights, the crowd, or the publicity.

This pattern of thinking made him rather unpopular by the media. To the media, it would be beneficial for Red to lose and another, less camera-shy Champion to emerge. That way, they can cover one story about a rising star, and the fall of an older one. Even so, there was something comforting about the man who many people who had been cheering this man on for eight years to keep his title. After all, it's only natural to admire the strong.

"And Red's ace Pokemon Salamence is being brought out first!" The annoying voice cried out from an unknown area. "Could he be aiming to take both of his Pokemon out with just Salamence?" If only he knew where the announcer was… Salamence could use _Hyper Beam_ and things would get a little bit quieter. Even so, he figured he'd face the person in front of him, first. Of all the Trainers he faced here, he was giving him the most trouble.

"Allow me to start things off!" Jack cried out, pointing right at Red's Salamence with his index and middle fingers. "Dusclops, start things off with your _Shadow Ball_!"

"_Dus…CLOPS_!!" The eerie Ghost type cried out in a deep, muffled voice. Quickly forming a black sphere, it shot out right at the dragon before him.

"Negate it," Was Red's only reply, spoken calmly and barely heard over the roar of the crowd. Salamence complied, opening his mouth and unleashing a stream of light blue flames right into the _Shadow Ball_. Salamence's _Dragonbreath_ collided with Dusclops's attack, both attacks hanging at a standstill. Eventually, the _Shadow Ball_ managed to push forward, eventually reaching closer towards Salamence.

_Underestimated him…_ Red thought, cursing to himself for the mistake. _Even so…_ Significantly weaker due to the collision from his attack, all Salamence had to do was bat it away with his claw, dispersing the orb into black particles.

"AMAZING!!!" The announcer yelled out. "By using Salamence's weaker attack, he weakened the _Shadow Ball_ just enough to effortlessly bat it away, therefore conserving as much energy as possible! As expected from our eight-time Champion!"

"_Our" Champion?_ _Rgh… _"Salamence, take the offensive!" Salamence acknowledged the order by lifting up into the air. It unleashed a flurry of glowing yellow stars right towards Dusclops. Unfortunately, the Ghost type simply vanished, completely avoiding the Normal type _Swift_ attack. Even so, this was all as planned. Spinning around in the air and unleashing a fierce roar into the air, Salamence's eyes shrank, and muscles started to bulge. By the time Dusclops reappeared, Salamence flew at high speeds, practically warping behind the Ghost type.

"_Dragon Dance _while Dusclops was in an ethereal form…" Jack commented, somewhat irritated. "Not wasting any time whatsoever… but… Bring him down to the earth, Dusclops! Use _Gravity_!" Dusclops's unusual red eye became a bright pink as Salamence was suddenly sent crashing back into the ground, the field of gravity preventing him from taking to the air. "_Rock Tomb_! Prevent him from moving!" Several pillars of stone were brought upon Salamence, completely trapping the Dragon and Flying type, but none hitting him. Red merely watched all of this play out, not giving a single order.

"Now, shake him down with _Earthquake_!" Dusclops placed his hand on the ground, and the ground began to shake wildly. The leaning pillars surrounding Salamence began to crack and shatter, burying the Pokemon in earth and stone.

"What an onslaught from Jack Edwards!" The announcer yelled out. "Not even giving Red's ace Salamence a chance to respond, he's been using powerful technique after powerful technique that would leave any ordinary Pokemon exhausted!" Jack then realized the trap he'd fallen for. Looking upon the Dusclops, he saw he was panting heavily from using so many strong attacks consecutively. He then saw the rocks burying Salamence scatter, as a green veil of light surrounded him.

"And Salamence used _Protect_ to completely defend himself from that entire onslaught!" The announcer yelled out. Salamence then took back to the air, free from the _Gravity_ effect. Flying behind the Dusclops, he couldn't do anything when Salamence unleashed another _Dragonbreath _attack at point-blank range, the blue flames scorching him completely. The Ghost type crashed to the ground, unable to battle.

"And Dusclops is unable to battle!" An unknown judge cried out from a mysterious location. Jack grumbled, recalling his Pokemon.

"Nice try…" He grumbled unhappily. "Now the only Pokemon I have left still has to take on that Salamence which is barely scratched, and his Armaldo… Even so… Exploud, go!" He unleashed the Pokemon, the strange purple monster screaming out an inaudible sound, making the entire crowd cover their ears. "_Hyper Voice_!"

"_EX…PLOOOOOOOOOUUUUD_!" The Normal type shrieked, sending shockwaves of sound tearing right towards the Salamence.

"Finish it," Red calmly replied, closing his eyes and turning his back on the opponent. _It is truly lonely at the top… Wild Pokemon are no match for me, and now even the so-called toughest Trainers can barely stand up to Salamence's might, and quickly fall if they do._ Salamence opened his mouth, gathering a violet and royal blue sphere right in front of it. "_Draco Meteor_!" The attack shot out right towards the shockwave, dispersing it completely and striking the Exploud. The direct hit took him down with one blow, sending the Normal type into a wall below the stands.

"Exploud is unable to battle!" The judge's voice came out again. "This battle's winner and the Pokemon League World Champion is now the nine-time victor, Red Blueman!" Red turned back around, climbing on top of his barely worn out Salamence, and then flew off. The crowd and the press didn't interest him in the least. Jack Edwards fell to his knees, still shaking from the complete loss. Not only was he completely crushed, but he received not a word from Red.

_The only challenge I'd ever get is if I never used my Salamence at all. But… _

"Salamence," Red said as he took off to an unknown area. "Good job, partner."

----------------

"WOW! Did you see that!?" Kelly cried out from the living room. The constant play-by-play from the announcer, and then her little sister was getting to be too much.

"I heard…" Kelsey answered from upstairs in her room.

"But that funny guy with the colors in his name only toyed with his opponent!"

"I heard you…" Kelsey said, becoming irritated.

"And that Salamence was really strong! Even stronger than Cyndaquil!" Now she was storming up into her room, stopping when she saw what her big sister was doing. "Umm…" Not one to own many clothes, Kelsey's closet had been nearly emptied, with some clothed rolled up inside of a bag.

"I'm leaving Tuesday morning," She answered sternly. "I graduate Monday, and I'm going to spend the day celebrating with my friends." Kelly immediately latched onto her leg.

"Why are you going to go so soon!?" She asked, already beginning to break into tears. "You can go anytime you want, so why so soon?" Kelsey needed to think carefully to say what she needed to say.

"Well, I've been waiting three years to do this…" She tried to explain. "And… It's just something I have to do. You've never seen your big sis be afraid of anything, right? Besides, the sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back, right?" She patted her little sister on the head, then waved her off. "So let go of my leg, and let me finish. After I'm done, I'll go and play with you for a bit today, okay?" Kelly's eyes brightened when she heard this.

"Weally?" She asked. Kelsey was suddenly confused by the sudden baby talk.

"Of course!" She said with a smile. She then grabbed the back of her shirt, and promptly threw her little sister out of her room. "So let me finish already!"

Just then, the doorbell rang and a shady figure was standing at the front of the door.

---------------------

By noontime, the summer heat finally reached the inside of the car.

"Fucking summer…" shaggy hair complained, sweat pouring down his face. "The fucking air conditioner broke, too. We can't roll down our windows, or we'll reveal that people have been in this car for hours now," He pulled out his collar to let some air in.

"It's not so bad," curly head replied, looking perfectly cool, not a bead of sweat anywhere.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" he replied angrily, pointing his finger at his partner. "How can you not be sweating in this heat? Are you even human!?" curly hair looked up at the car hood, as if pondering the question.

"Well…" He tried to explain it. "My fiery passion and soul is always burning fiercely, so I'm already used to incredible heat…" Ironically, he was surprisingly calm and cool when announcing his "fiery passion and soul".

"THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING SENSE!!!"

"She doesn't make much sense, either," curly hair replied, pointing towards a girl, sitting down on the porch, waiting for the target to come. She was leaning her face on her arms and she rested her arms on her legs. She was out here for a couple of hours now, waiting for the target to arrive, they guessed. "Records show that she is Allison Black, twelve years of age, and a classmate of the target. She's the daughter of Jason Black the business tycoon, and Gretchen Black the East Hoenn Region Representative. Oh, records also say she was adopted by the pair… Political move by her mother to win a couple votes, perhaps?"

"STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT!!!" curly hair's eyes darted to the corner of the street, where a young boy with white hair was walking down towards the house.

"Bingo!" curly hair cried out with minimal enthusiasm. "Here's our target, Ronald Friese, AKA Ronald Frost."

"Not… the most creative name-change…" The sweating shaggy hair muttered. "Even so, how should we go about this? Should we engage?"

"No…" curly hair replied. "We don't want to reveal ourselves too soon…"

"Good point…"

"Besides… I want to watch the drama unfold as the boy and girl talk to each other. If she's been waiting this long, then there's gotta be something important to talk about," shaggy hair wanted to strangle his partner at this point, but when he glanced at the target, he noticed that he was looking over at their car for a little too long.

"Either he's incredibly paranoid…" shaggy hair claimed. "Or he knows who we are… Either way, looks like we've been made."

---------------------

"I got a call from a concerned neighbor telling me that a weird girl was sitting on my front steps," Ronald said, startling the half-asleep Alli. He was holding a grocery bag, contents hidden inside. He had very dark circles under his eyes, and looked like he was ready to take a nap.

"Oh!" She said, suddenly sitting up straight. "Sorry… I Just… I…"

"Spill it, already," Ronald said, looking at his watch. "I don't have much time to spare. I've got to get going soon. Get right to the point, and don't stammer your words. It gets pretty annoying." Alli shrunk down with each sentence, disliking Ronald's confrontational attitude.

"Well, fine!" Alli suddenly cried out defiantly. "I came to ask you a few questions!"

"I'm a Libra, my blood type is AB, my favorite color is silver, I hate the _Harry Potter _series, I enjoy watching morning soap operas, and yes, my hair is natural. Call your butler and go home already." Alli responded by standing up and stamping her foot on the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum.

"I don't care about any of that!" She replied frantically. Ronald was rather shocked by her odd behavior. He turned to face her, and she was on the verge of being teary-eyed. "I want to know what's going on! Why did you just flunk the exams like you did, and what was up with the way you were acting when you were speaking to one of those thugs?" Ronald sighed, closing the door without entering.

"If I had to put it in percentages, you'd have about a zero percent chance of victory if you took me on. Besides, I don't like beating the crap out of a Pokemon just because their trainer is an inexperienced idiot. And it just wouldn't be very fair if I prevented you from graduating with your friends. So instead of waiting around my house, a simple 'thank you' would do. And I'm not going to answer your other questions." Alli gripped her hand tightly on his shoulder, and for a second Ronald was surprised by Alli's actions. Not at all like the timid girl in the class.

"Then what's so important with that Bulbasaur Vinny has?" Alli asked. "Why did those men from before break in and try to take it? When he was released, it looked a lot different than a normal Pokeball, and there was that eerie orange light…" Ronald grabbed her wrist, and gently pushed her hand away from him.

"Very well, I'll tell you… I'm a spy from the government," He then said with a fierce glare. "That Bulbasaur was a genetically engineered experiment capable of great destruction. I've been sent to be undercover as a student to locate, and retrieve said Pokemon. For that, I've been living undercover for three years because I have the appearance of a teenager, despite being twenty-four years old in reality." He said all of it with a straight face, and then turned away. "If that's what you think, then you have too big of an imagination. I wish it were something cool like that, but I'm afraid life never meets up with expectations.

"If it's not so secret, then just tell me what it is!" Alli practically yelled. "I'm sick and tired of not knowing what's going on around me, and I'm surely tired of all the conspiracies I've gotten myself into!" She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and it whatever Ronald said must have struck a nerve. Even so, Ronald was getting extremely irritated, and he had to hold his head. He felt dizzy, as a surge of anger rushed through him. He didn't like being yelled at. But before anything else could happen, a shaggy-haired man in a suit placed his hand on Alli's shoulder. He held up a golden badge, and Ronald didn't recognize it as the local Police's.

"You're disturbing the neighbors," He said in a gruff voice. "And before you say anything else, I don't really care who your parents are. Stay here any longer, and we'll take you down to the station, _princess_," He said the last word with obvious sarcasm. She was irritated by the man's mockery, but she finally gave in.

"I apologize for the rude behavior," She said with complete disdain, storming down the steps and walking down the sidewalk.

"Officer," Ronald then said to the gruff man. "I fear that the girl will come back once you have left.

Would you please be so kind as to escort her home?" Ronald's icy blue eyes meeting shaggy-hair's fierce green. "Though it may be a rather personal request, I am concerned for safety concerns," Shaggy hair tried to discern the truth from the bull, but he got the message.

"Very well," He answered. "I will do as you requested. But… shall I _inform_ her of the crimes we're letting her off with?" Ronald looked away for a couple of seconds, then looked back.

"I am sure that would be the wisest course of action," Ronald said, opening his door and going into his house. "Good day, officer."

"Good day, citizen," shaggy-hair said after he shut the door. _Bastard just has to beat around the bush like that, doesn't he?_ Shaggy-hair snapped his fingers and pointed to Alli, and curly hair quickly walked up to her.

"Excuse me, miss, but for general safety concerns, the gentleman you were talking to earlier asked us to escort you directly home," He said, causing Alli to stop in her tracks. She looked back towards him with a slightly angry… actually, she looked completely pissed.

"I'll walk," She replied, continuing to walk away.

"CODEF," Curly-hair then cried out, making Alli turn around. "Criminal Organization Defense and Execution Force," He held out a badge much like shaggy-hair's, and then pulled out a lavender card, and with a smile said, "We've even got membership cards!" After this person completely broke the mood, Alli continued to stare at him, wanting to know where he was going. "I'm Detective Warden Jones, and the sweaty bastard over there is Detective Blitzkrieg Steele. Apparently his mother didn't realize that putting two cool names together doesn't result in a cool kid."

"Hey, you wanted to know who that white-hair was, right?" Steele said, walking up to her as well. "The air conditioner's broke, but we can safely roll down the windows now." He then looked over towards Jones. "And who are you to talk about my mother, you curly-haired bastard!?"

"Please, didn't your mother ever tell you not to curse around little children?"

"You started it, damn it!"

"There you go cursing again…"

"Fuck you!"

_I think they completely forgot about me…_ Alli thought, watching the two bicker like children.

-------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan and Derek's backyard wasn't particularly large, but it was a suitable size for training. It was hardly ever used, and the view was blocked by a massive amount of vegetation, so it made it a fairly decent area for training. Thus, the two were trying to avoid all of the possibly dangerous plants. There's no point in getting a poison ivy rash when you're about to go off on an adventure.

"So, we're actually going to do this?" Derek asked, holding the Pokeball in his hand. _I'll definitely use Mudkip for this battle. With the vegetation around, it will be easy to track Treecko's speedy movements. Mudkip, on the other hand, can simply wait around and attack when the enemy gets near…_

"I want to see what you're capable of!" Jonathan said, Tori perched on his shoulder. "We'll just call this a little light training before you go off, so hurry up and get ready! You already know what Pokemon I'm going to use!" Tori jumped off, and nearly vanished in the various tall grass and other plants.

"_Chic, chic tor_!" She cried out, already lost.

"Then… I'll go with my Mudkip!" Derek said, releasing the Pokeball, the white light forming Mudkip eventually fading into the field of green.

"_Kip kip mud!" _He cried out, then realizing the situation.

"Zero visibility, and Tori can't use her _Ember _attack unless you want to burn away all of this grass," Derek stated. Jonathan gave a slight smirk, and held out his hand, wanting Derek to make the first move. Derek did so. "Mudkip, crouch down to the ground and wait for the enemy Torchic to come," A little bit of rustling was heard as Mudkip lowered his body. Tori heard it, and immediately charged for the enemy, acting on her own.

"Stop, Tori!" Jonathan suddenly boomed. The Fire type stopped in her tracks, only a few feet away from the Mudkip. "Now, use _Ember_, directly in front of you!" The Torchic complied, and the next thing the two saw was the grass beginning to be set ablaze.

"You're seriously… burning our backyard?" Derek asked in shock.

"And you're seriously underestimating me!" Jonathan answered. "I've never been motivated enough to mow the lawn, and this is the quickest way to get rid of all these disgusting plants!"

_Mudkip will be trapped by the flames, and Torchic will eventually find him… And if I try to douse the flames with _Water Gun_, then I'd be giving away Mudkip's position… But I've got no choice! _"Mudkip, douse the ground around you with _Water Gun_, then take care of the flames around you!" Jonathan smirked at his statement, appearing to already know what his son was thinking. _I'll create a reasonable amount of mud to prepare for an attack from Tori once I give away my position. Mudkip can take an attack or two from Tori, and I'll have to retaliate then!_

"Tori, jump up high into the air, locate Mudkip, and hit him with your _Ember _attack!" He replied, giving a large smirk when he saw Derek's reaction.

_He's making a target of his Pokemon just like that?_ He thought, thoughts beginning to connect. He heard the sound of rushing water, and knew that Mudkip was already following Derek's directions. The sound of the flames, and the fact that Mudkip was looking down at the ground while sending the rushing water at the ground around him prevented him from noticing the Torchic above him. Tori unleashed the flames right into Mudkip's head, sending him crashing down into his own mud he created. Tori landed right near Mudkip, sending another barrage of flames towards Mudkip. This send the Water and Ground type sliding back on his own mud. When Mudkip tried to get up, he slipped up in the mud, crashing to the ground once more.

"Now, finish this up with an aerial _Crush Claw_!" Jonathan yelled out, pointing directly towards the downed Mudkip. Tori ran towards Mudkip, then leaped right above him. She drove a fierce kick with pointed claws, the impact sending Mudkip down an inch or so in the muddy ground.

"_Kip…_" Derek's Pokemon replied, already realizing the complete and utter defeat. Derek simply stared in shock at the results of the battle.

_He even taught Tori _Crush Claw_…? What's more, he realized my strategy in a split-second, and immediately gave out a counter to the strategy… As if he predicted my every move?_ Jonathan gave a big grin towards his son, walking over towards Tori and giving her a scratch on the head. Tori's gaze wandered off to the clouds at the scratch, and she then jumped away, realizing that she was being petted.

"_Hey, don't pet me like some pet_!" She cried out, offended. Derek chuckled at the Torchic's odd outburst, and walked over towards Mudkip.

"Sorry about that..." He said quietly, placing his large hand on Mudkip's small torso. "You just keep losing with me… What do you say we become stronger, together?" Mudkip simply nodded weakly, and Derek recalled his hard-working Pokemon.

"You looked at the ground around you while thinking up of a plan," Jonathan said, walking in front of his son. "Knowing Mudkip's types, I could only assume that would be your reaction. When it's normal, strategy-based battle, you probably would have won, but when it comes down to real-time tactics and unusual methods, you're still incredibly slow to react."

"So… you did all of this just to show me my weaknesses?" Derek asked, Jonathan quickly nodding. Derek looked around him, and sighed. "But I'd say this is a bit over excessive, don't you think?" He pointed to the flames in the yard, gradually getting closer to the house.

"What!? Derek, quickly, fill up a bucket of water and help me put this fire out!"

While they were busy putting out the flames, a shady figure knocked on the door. It took them ten minutes to realize someone was there.

-------------------

"That was amazing, wasn't it?" The kid asked for the fifteenth time.

"We saw it," Was Vinny and Bulbasaur's fifteenth response.

"I mean, it seemed that Edwards guy had the upper hand, but he was actually being played by Red Blueman the entire time! That was just awesome, right?"

"WE SAID WE SAW IT!" The two yelled out in unison. The kid remained unfazed at their outburst. Instead, he looked over towards the Bulbasaur.

"Hey, is that Bulbasaur speaking like us?" He suddenly asked, apparently not freaked out by it.

"You just now fucking noticed?" Bulbasaur replied, amazed at the density of the little kid. "And what the hell are you doing sitting at our table, anyway?" The kid didn't answer the question, however. The three were sitting at the buffet booths in the cafeteria section of the Pokemon Center. Lunchtime served a nice variety of foods, much better than ones at dinner. In fact, yesterday Vinny hid some of the lunch food under a table so he could eat it for dinner, but a patient Pokemon must have sniffed it out, for all that remained were crumbs. Needless to say Bulbasaur was quite full during dinnertime that night.

"Hey… You're Vincent Elias, right?" he asked out of the blue.

_This kid is an expert at changing the topic to something less insulting to himself…_ Vinny mentally praised. "Yeah, that's me…" He said with a certain amount of pride. "Wait, how did you know who I was?" The kid merely put up three fingers.

"Three ways!" He replied, holding a salt shaker in his other hand. "The first time I saw you on the news a couple of times, when those ruffians invaded your school, and that wild Pinsir attack the next day. The second time was because your name came up when I asked a doctor about that one Charmander that's been in here for awhile. And the third way…" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a strip of newspaper. "This is a list of the ten graduating students that'll officially receive their Pokemon Trainer's license Monday. Your name was on it. I was just wondering if you were him, that's all," Vinny and Bulbasaur gave him a blank stare for awhile, but he didn't seem to get a hint. The kid poured a dash of salt onto his food, and carefully put the salt down to the wall.

"And… what would your name be…?" Vinny finally asked, getting annoyed by the kid. He simply looked back at Vinny with a confused expression.

"Huh? You don't know my name?" He asked with a slight glimmer in his eyes.

"Knowing everybody in the city isn't exactly a hobby of mine…" Vinny replied sarcastically, desperately stopping himself from grinding his teeth. "And you haven't been kind enough to offer it," Vinny saw that his eyes fully lit up, and he nodded to them. He scooted out of the bench, stood before them, and placed his fist on his chest. Vinny took this to fully grasp this kid's appearance.

The most noticeable thing about him was his eyes. They were a shade of faded blue, almost appearing to be gray, even when bright-eyed. They showed signs of intelligence, yet were still youthful and energetic. He wore a lime green t-shirt, with a dark green short-sleeved jacket, left unbuttoned. From Vinny's angle, he saw a single Pokeball attached to the dark blue jeans he wore. He also had a bright pink wristband with a small yellow marble tied onto it with a four-inch white string.

"My name, is Gary. Gary… Green," He dropped his hand down and gave a short bow. "Pleased to meetcha!"

"That's nice…" Vinny said, tapping his finger on the table impatiently. "Now sit down and stop attracting attention," Gary then noticed the stares around him, and grinned at everyone before sitting back down with Vinny and Bulbasaur. _Man is this kid dense… Is this how Kelsey and the others feel when they're around me?_ He then noticed Gary looking directly at him with a semiserious glare.

"To be perfectly frank…" He said, as if unable to express it in words. "I recently received a Pokemon Trainer's license myself…" Vinny gave a curious glance.

"Aren't you're a little young to…" Vinny started. Gary began to sigh.

"My family forced me to begin early…" He said with a sigh. "I don't know how to put it in a modest way… but… my family and all my instructors kept calling me a prodigy… I started the lessons when I was five, and now I'm an official Trainer," Vinny had no idea what a prodigy was, but everything else Gary said was impressive.

"That's… pretty damn amazing!" Vinny practically yelled out. Gary put his finger over his mouth, and Vinny realized his mistake. "My bad…" He apologized.

"I have no idea how I actually stack up against the average Trainer… so…" Vinny seemed to finally understand where he was getting at.

"Well, I'm not really sure if I'm allowed to battle a Trainer yet, but I'm pretty sure that can be overlooked, but…" He looked over at Bulbasaur, half-asleep from the uninteresting human conversation. "To be perfectly honest… Bulbasaur's a little on the disobedient side, and really won't listen to a thing I say…" Now Gary gave a curious look.

"But a starter Pokemon is raised to be completely obedient to a Trainer," He replied. "He should normally do whatever you say in a battle!" Vinny shrugged in response. Bulbasaur finally seemed to notice that they were talking about him.

"Why should I let this guy think for me?" Bulbasaur asked in response. "I've got a brain that works too, and mindlessly obeying an idiot's orders isn't exactly something to smile about!" Gary shook his head, trying to think up an appropriate response.

"Pokemon and humans are supposed to work together!" He tried to explain. "Humans bring out the most potential from a Pokemon, so if you work together with Vinny, you'll no doubt become much stronger than you would on your own!" Bulbasaur looked towards Vinny for a second, and held in a chuckle.

"Somehow, I think playing in the dirt would bring out more of my potential strength," He replied with a cocky smirk. Vinny immediately grabbed his Bulbasaur and lifted him up so they were face to face.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been able to defeat Heracross," He said with an incredibly serious tone. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have that same Heracross as an ally!"

"If it weren't for you, I would have won that last battle!" He replied angrily. "I was going to take down that Cyndaquil, quickly finish off that Wurmple, and you would have won your first battle!"

"Winning's not winning if the Pokemon doesn't listen to my commands!" He retorted, raising his voice a little too loudly. "If I hung in there, I probably would have still lost, but at least I would have had the peace of mind knowing that I did my best!"

"Enough!" Gary boomed, his face showing a fury towards the Pokemon and Trainer arguing with each other. "I've got a way to settle this once and for all!" Bulbasaur and Vinny looked over towards Gary, interested in his proposition. "It's a simple one-on-one battle against me! Bulbasaur, you'll have to listen to, or at least work together with Vinny for the entire battle. If you win, then Vinny will have proved himself as a Trainer. If you lose, then you proved that your way is the best!" The two stared at each other for a second, seriously considering the deal.

"How would I know if you'd take it seriously or not?" Bulbasaur asked with an angry glare. This time, Gary gave back a glare just as effective.

"As you said, it's shameful for the Pokemon if the Trainer gives up or throws the battle," Gary replied. "And I'll have you know, I'm battling to test my limits, too. If I don't go all out, how will I know how strong I really am?"

---------------------

"To put it bluntly, we're a government-assigned task force formed from police, agents, and other people that don't like to be known. We're designed to take down the various organized crime syndicates that pop up from region to region," Alli looked at Warden Jones, sitting right next to her in the backseat. Steele was driving in the front alone, and Alli wondered if they did this often.

"Hey, why the hell are you sitting in the back?" Steele demanded angrily. Apparently, Alli was wrong in her thoughts. "Don't tell me you're trying to get in with the rich girl?"

"'Get in'?" Alli repeated in a gasp, looking over towards Jones. He gave no visible response.

"You should know better than anyone that I'm interested in older women," Jones stated.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Steele replied angrily.

"Err… scratch that last sentence…" Jones answered innocently. "I'm just sitting back here because your sweaty armpits are starting to smell like onions." Alli sniffed the air a couple of times, and confirmed the fact by plugging her nose.

"What the hell!? Now the little girl is ganging up on me, too!?" Steele retorted, not at all denying the body odor issue.

"Well, if you used some long-lasting deodorant, rather than that generic dollar store stuff, then maybe you wouldn't have such issues…"

"And what the hell is up with you!?" Steele suddenly cried out. "You don't sweat, you don't get angry, you constantly smell like roses, you're sharp as a tack, and you're young and handsome to boot!"

"I'm also fluent in nine languages, can play seven different instruments, have an IQ of 210, and wealthy as well."

"Are you even human!?" Jones looked over at Alli with a slight snicker.

"And apparently I'm a good liar, as well," He said softly.

"I heard that, you bastard!"

"Umm… You said that you were in organized crime…?" Alli interrupted, trying to get the two back on track. Jones nodded, ignoring Steele's various death threats. "Then, what does Ronald have to do with…" Jones put his finger over his lip.

"Classified," He said. "We barely have any information on him ourselves," Alli looked down in disappointment. Looking back in the rearview mirror, Steele noticed the glance.

"Looks like we're almost there," he said, trying to break the mood in a not so ridiculous manner, much unlike his partner. Alli looked back up in surprise.

"Then… could you let me off here?" She asked. "I don't want to let my butler know that I was escorted home by the police," Steele nodded, pulling out to the side of the road. A few cars behind parked their horns in protest, but the angry driver's faces quickly turned friendly when they heard the police siren.

"That ought to shut them up," He replied bitterly. Alli gave her thanks, and opened the car door. Before she exited, Steele spoke up. "You don't have to worry about that white-haired kid," He explained. "Can't go into details, so just know that a big storm is brewing, but that guy is definitely not the one responsible for it." She looked at him for a second with a face that brightened up just a shade, and exited the vehicle at a slightly faster pace than normal. Jones reached over and closed the door, and simply looked at Steele with surprised.

"I never knew you had a 'soft spot' for little girls," He said with a sarcastic tone.

"I have a niece about the same age as her, but my sister and her husband are both assholes, so she often has an unhappy face like hers whenever there's a family reunion," He tried to explain. "I just instinctively have to cheer people like them up."

"So you actually have a 'soft spot' for your niece?" Jones mocked with an even more sarcastic tone. "That's still pretty disgusting,"

"Stop taking things out of context," Steele replied with an unusual calm voice, shifting the car back into drive and speeding away. "And go screw yourself while you're at it."

By the time Alli finally made it to the front gates, she saw someone already leaning up against them. Despite Frank/Wetherbee's protests, the person remained there. He looked over towards Alli, making her freeze in her tracks.

"You…" She said with a slight shiver in her voice.

------------------------

One hour after Gary's challenge, Vinny and Bulbasaur stood behind the Pokemon Center, ready to face off the kid before them. There was quite a crowd that gathered. Apparently word traveled pretty fast that there'd be a battle here.

"Are you two finally ready to go?" Gary asked, reaching for a Pokeball on his belt. "I'm ready whenever you are!" Vinny and Bulbasaur looked at each other for a second, and begrudgingly nodded.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with," Bulbasaur said. "Just know that when this idiot starts to panic, I'm taking things into my own hands. I don't feel like taking hits just because an idiot's orders."

"And that won't be a problem," Vinny replied confidently. "No matter what you bring out, we'll bring it down!" Gary pulled out a small orb, and enlarged it to reveal a Pokeball with a golden top, instead of the normal red. He threw it up into the air, and Vinny and Bulbasaur stared at it in wonder.

"That brat probably has some kind of Fire or Flying type to do away with me…" Bulbasaur said to Vinny.

"Either that, or he has an incredibly nasty Pokemon," He replied. The orb finally opened up, the light bringing upon the figure of Gary's Pokemon.

Yellow in color, this creature only stood a little over a foot tall. Its long, thin ears had a black fur on the end. Its long tail was in the shape of a lightning bolt, and was brown at the base. He had two brown stripes on his back, and the most noticeable item on his body was the two crimson cheeks. A small crackle of electricity formed when he squeezed them.

"_Pikachu_!" He cried out happily, glad to be out of the Pokeball. He stretched his front legs while standing up on his two hind legs, then got down on all fours to stretch the back ones. As comfortable as the Yellow Ball was for him, he needed to get some fresh air every now and then!

**Yellow Ball: A specialized Pokeball made specifically for pure Electric type Pokemon. While it doesn't increase the chances of capturing an Electric type Pokemon in the wild, this Pokeball stimulates and can enhance the static electricity within the body. Most Electric type Pokemon enjoy the confines of the Yellow Ball. **

Pikachu turned his head around until he saw his Trainer, and immediately ran to his side. "_Pika Pi_!" He cried out in excitement. Gary smiled and scratched the Electric type Pokemon in the head, doing his best to ignore the static electricity coursing throughout his fur. Gary's fingers became numb in a matter of seconds.

"Are you ready for a battle?" He asked. The small mouse Pokemon nodded without hesitation, spinning back around to face the other person with a Pokemon out, presumably their opponent.

"That Pokemon is a…" Vinny started to say, trying to recall what that yellow mouse was. He heard the name somewhere…

"He just said is fucking name, and you still can't guess what Pokemon he is!?" Bulbasaur cried out in both shock and anger.

"This is Pikachu, my partner and best friend!" Gary said with a confident stare. Pikachu took a few steps away from Gary, keeping an eye on him at the same time. "The bond between us spans for five years, whereas you and Bulbasaur have met just a few days ago. You're going to see how important the bond between Pokemon and Trainer really is!" He clenched his fist, and pointed his finger at Vinny. "You can make the first move, so hurry up and come at us!" Vinny was tapping his finger at his side for awhile now.

"You like to hear yourself talk, don't you?" He replied with a smirk. "Bulbasaur, use _Bullet Seed _from a distance!"

"I was already doing that!" Bulbasaur cried out, arching his back so his bulb pointed towards the Pikachu. The yellow mouse was standing on two legs, as if standing defiantly with his chest puffed at the two opponents. Bulbasaur fired the glowing seeds, the projectiles taking a slight arch as they headed towards their target. Without any commands, Pikachu took a stepped to the left, narrowly dodging the _Bullet Seed_ and still keeping an eye on Gary. Gary then pointed towards Bulbasaur with two fingers, and Pikachu complied by getting down on all fours and heading towards him at incredible speeds. There was nothing the Grass type could do but take the quick hit. He was forced back a foot or so, but held a steady ground nonetheless.

"He's fast!" Vinny exclaimed while the Pikachu jumped away from Bulbasaur to gain some distance. "And he used _Quick Attack_ when Gary simply pointed…"

"Idiot…" Bulbasaur interrupted, growling a little. "He pointed with two fingers; a very unusual way to point. They probably have some sort of code that no one else knows!"

"The number one reason why many strategies fail is because the Trainers announce the attacks to both their Pokemon and the enemy," Gary said, acknowledging Bulbasaur's perception. "So by using silent hand signals, the enemy won't know what attack Pikachu is going to use. The only way to figure it out is to pay attention to me, but you really don't want to take your eyes off a quick Pokemon like my Pikachu, do you?" He pointed one finger towards Bulbasaur, and Pikachu's cheeks began to sparkle.

"_Pika…CHUUUU_!" The Electric type shot out a bolt of lightning, blasting the Grass type. Bulbasaur started to shake as his body became numb, and he crashed to the ground. He struggled a bit, and slowly stood back up.

"Yeah, he definitely likes to hear himself talk," Bulbasaur said with a charred body, looking up towards Vinny.

"He probably practices in front of the mirror!" Vinny said with a grin. Bulbasaur responded with a slight smile, and the two nodded together.

"Just this once, dammit," Bulbasaur said, focusing his attention on the Pikachu. "And don't screw it up this time!"

"Be quiet and focus on the Pikachu," Vinny retorted, focusing on Gary. "I'll keep my eyes on the kid and tell you when he's attacking. You can do your own thing after that!"

"You do your thing and I'll go mine, huh?" Bulbasaur replied to Vinny, still focusing on Pikachu. "I like it…" Gary shivered for a second, looking like he was about to bite his lip.

"They don't get along, so they just accept the fact and still battle together?" He muttered to himself. "Aren't Pokemon and their Trainers supposed to work as one?"

"SCREW THAT!!!" The two replied in unison. Gary pointed one finger, and Pikachu quickly complied.

"One finger, _Thundershock_!" Vinny cried out the same time Pikachu began to charge up. He fired the bolt of electricity, and Bulbasaur jumped out of the way before the bolt struck where he was standing.

"Doesn't lightning move faster than the speed of sound?" Bulbasaur asked, sending out two vines and smacking the Pikachu just as he powered down his _Thundershock _attack. Bulbasaur felt a slight tingle go throughout his body as his vines connected, but it didn't slow him down too much. Pikachu rolled back from the blow, then purposely rolling back more to gain balance and stay in motion at the same time. Gary gave a slight groan, and pointed with three fingers.

"Three fingers, it's a new one!" Vinny announced while Pikachu charged towards Bulbasaur. "But he's moving slower than before, meaning…"

"This one's gonna be stronger!" Bulbasaur finished, privately thinking it was scary that he was able to finish this idiot's sentences. He used his vines crossed them in an x-shape. When Pikachu neared him, he placed the cross right in front of the mouse and quickly uncrossed them. Pikachu's feet were caught up in the uncross as he tripped up and fell to his side.

"_Pika… Chaaaa…_!" He cried out as he tumbled to the ground, right in front of Bulbasaur.

"_Grass Knot_!" Gary remarked, cursing to himself.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Vinny said with a smirk. "Now, it's time to end this battle, Bulbasaur! _Take Down_!"

"I thought you weren't going to give me… ah, never mind…" He charged the Pikachu with a vicious ram, knocking the fallen mouse into the air, and subsequently crashing on the ground near Gary.

"Game over!" Vinny replied with a smirk, proud of his victory. Unfortunately, Pikachu stood up right after he said it. "Damn… that spoiled the mood…" Bulbasaur shook off the static electricity he felt from the full force ram, but needed to stay put for awhile. Despite panting in weariness and groaning in pain, Pikachu whirled around to his Trainer and put his front legs out while standing on his hind legs.

"_Pikachu… Pi Pi Pi Pi_!" Pikachu said, pumping his paw when at each "Pi". Gary shook his head with a serious expression.

"Number four can't be used right now," He simply responded, able to understand what Pikachu was trying to get at. "Right now, we've got to…" He looked into Pikachu's determined eyes, and nodded. "We'll do it, but only at half-strength. You're a little too banged up to do it at full power at this point!" Pikachu gave a little smile, and turned around to face Bulbasaur.

"Looks like they've got an ace up their sleeve!" Vinny said, crouching down to Bulbasaur's level. "Can you move well?" Bulbasaur moved his body around.

"The static electricity over his body keeps numbing me every time I hit him," He said. "But I'm able to move a little right now." He glanced at Vinny, and sighed. "Whatever he's gonna do is probably gonna involve electricity being flung all over the place. You better get away from me before I decide to use you as a shield!" Vinny did so, wanting to make a sarcastic comment on how Bulbasaur didn't want him getting hurt. But he was a little touched on Bulbasaur's feelings.

"Okay, get ready, Pikachu!" Gary cried out. "Attack number four: _Volt Tackle_!" He pointed out four fingers, completely oblivious to the fact that he just announced his attack. Pikachu got down on all fours, and his entire body was surrounded by a fierce spurts of lightning.

"_PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAA_!!!" He cried out, charging right towards Bulbasaur with a massive aura of lightning around him. His fur started to become singed, but he kept on charging.

_What the hell… there's no fucking way I can deal with this!_ Bulbasaur cried out, bracing himself for impact. He waited for the powerful attack to come, closing his eyes. He waited a little bit more, and waited some more…

"Umm… Bulbasaur?" He heard Vinny call out. He opened his eyes to face Vinny, and then spotted the charred Pikachu standing right in front of him, with eyes that were swirling.

"We… still haven't quite got that attack down just yet... And Pikachu ends up shocking himself to the point he faints…" He scratched the back of his head innocently, making Vinny, Bulbasaur, and the entire crowd face-fault. Gary sighed and recalled Pikachu into his Pokeball. It was a good thing they fought behind the Pokemon Center.

"Even so… Looks like…" Vinny began.

"We won!" Bulbasaur cried out in excitement. "Wait… I mean… I won!" Vinny sighed as a response.

"Please, without me focusing on Gary you would have been creamed!" Vinny replied. "We won together!" He placed his hand out for Bulbasaur to shake with his vine or paws or whatever. Bulbasaur stared at it for a second, and something clicked in his head.

"High five!" He said, slapping Vinny's hand with a vicious _Vine Whip_. "G….g…gyaaaaaaagh! That hurts, dammit!"

"What do you know, looks like you're capable of winning, after all!" He heard a voice say from the crowd. Chad Ian was standing there, sunglasses and all.

"What are you doing here…?" Vinny asked. Chad looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"This is a Pokemon Center, and I'm a Pokemon Trainer," Chad explained. "Try and put two and two together."

"You didn't have to say it like that!" Thomas then said, stepping right past Chad and towards Vinny. "Good job on the win!"

"Please, it was all luck!" Kelsey remarked, stepping into view. "Pikachu was just at too low of a level to use _Volt Tackle_. The best Electric attack he should know at this level is _Thundershock_."

"Even so, a win's a win, right?" Derek commented. "Besides, from my point of view, it looked like Vinny and Bulbasaur had the upper hand before the unexpected end. Otherwise, the Pikachu and the kid wouldn't have used such a strong and dangerous move, right?" He looked over towards Gary, and he nodded in agreement.

"My Pikachu's a little on the stubborn side, too," He said with a slight grin.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Vinny then asked.

"Well, Chad called us over here," Kelsey explained.

"I had business here, anyway," Derek added, not sure how the others that Mudkip got beaten down by the cute pet Torchic that lived with him.

"I needed to pick up Growlithe, anyway!" Thomas said. "We were training, and Growlithe got himself hurt again!"

"_Flare Blitz_?" Vinny asked, a little irked that he somehow got his Pokemon to use such a strong attack. Thomas replied by throwing his hands into the air. Guilty as charged.

"I've brought everyone here because I've a proposition to make," Chad then said, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone come inside, if you will." So Vinny, Bulbasaur, Kelsey, Derek, Thomas, and even Gary followed Chad into the Pokemon Center.

_Great… Things have progressed without me…_ Alli muttered, following the others.

-----------------------

"I'll take care of your Pokemon," Dr. Scar said, grabbing Gary's Pikachu and Derek's Mudkip. Shoving the Pokeballs into his pocket, he suddenly pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot the male nurse again in the neck once again. He slumped to the ground, and a couple of Chansey casually dragged him off into another room. It seemed they did this often. "Stop slacking off," He said after the guy was tranquilized. Dr. Scar then walked off, Derek and Gary getting back to the crowd. Sitting around a table in the lobby, Chad waited patiently until everyone was there.

"So what's the big deal?" Bulbasaur finally asked.

"Somehow I don't think you're here to give us a congratulatory hug," Vinny said is excessive sarcasm.

"Tempting, but I'll pass," Chad replied, looking over at center of the table. "As for your Pokemon Journey, what exactly are you going to do?" They looked around at each other, then back to Chad.

"I'm going to take the Gym Challenge here, collect the eight Kanto Badges, enter the Kanto Regional Tournament, and qualify for the World Championship…" Thomas said, as if it would be a piece of cake.

"I was going to take a boat over to New Bark Town, and take the Gym Challenge over in the Johto Region," Kelsey said, speaking as if it brought back some past burden.

"I'm not too sure what I want to do just yet, but I'm probably going to take a flight to Hoenn," This was Derek's reply.

"Well… I'd like to go to the Sinnoh Region, but I have my reasons for not going, too…" Alli said, still unsure of her plans.

"Kanto," Vinny simply said, leaning back. He gave Bulbasaur a glance, and he replied by shrugging. He didn't much care where he went, so long as he got to beat around a few Pokemon along the way. Gary didn't speak up. He was just hanging around here, but he was sure the question wasn't aimed at him.

"Have you ever considered of traveling together?" Chad asked, leaning back a little. "As a group?" The others looked around at each other, but Kelsey spoke up afterwards.

"If we're all taking the gym challenge, then we'd have to wait around at the city for several days before everyone can get a gym challenge,"

"And more people means more activity, and activity tends to scare wild Pokemon away. You normally want to catch a full team of Pokemon the first thing and train them as you go on your journey. If going in a group of six or seven you'd be lucky if you filled up your party by the time you get your eighth badge," Gary added.

"Not to mention, that some could also drag us down…" Thomas then commented, much to the shock of everyone else. Thomas wasn't someone who viewed others as "dragging him down".

"They also say that best friends who become roommates normally end up hating each other, but they also say that with marriage, too, so…" Derek added in his piece of advice.

"Random critical comment," Vinny then said, and Kelsey automatically punched his arm.

Alli didn't add anything in. Actually, she wasn't really listening to the whole conversation. She was remembering Ronald saying something about wanting Alli to graduate with all her friends. Then Chad comes and suggests that they travel together, was it a coincidence?

"I wouldn't mind traveling with everyone," Alli spoke up in her normal timid voice. "I know that I'd probably just drag everyone down, but…" She tried to come up with a good reason why, then came up with one. "More people around means a larger variety of Pokemon at our disposal, so whatever dangerous situation comes up, we'd be more likely to overcome it…" _Was this the reason why Ronald did what he did? Did he predict some kind of danger…? _She took a glance at Bulbasaur. _Who were those people that were after him, and why did they attack. Did they escape from jail, or are there more of them?_ Her head was beginning to spin from all the confusion and thoughts.

She made a valid point and the others nodded in approval.

"Plus, with several Trainers around, you'd never run out of trainers to spar with," Gary added. "I guess that's a benefit of traveling around together,"

"Random compliment," Vinny added, receiving a second and third bruise from Kelsey.

Chad gave off a slight smirk as he looked at all of them, including Gary.

"Ever hear of the Braven Region?"

--------------------

"We all gather today for commemorate the birth of many new Pokemon Trainers…" Levid's voice said, talking as if he was at a funeral. Now that Vinny graduated, he wouldn't get a single bonus for the end of the year. That was probably the last time he'd make a bet with the Dean. His speech was really boring everyone around, and the Dean himself was probably snoring the loudest. After what seemed to be three hours of listening to him talk, about three people gave a polite applaud.

"This cap and gown just doesn't feel right…" Vinny muttered. "And does the tassel go on the left side or right?"

"Stop asking that, already!" Kelsey harshly whispered. "I only walked with you because you're planning on skipping out first thing to go see Czar and Bulbasaur, right? Well, I'm coming with you! My dad brought the camera, and the last thing I want is to have a thousand pictures of me spread throughout the house afterwards!" Vinny nodded as if he understood. Maybe he was just being egotistical, but he would enjoy being reminded of his accomplishment. Then something funny clicked.

"You know, when people see us, a guy and a girl, rushing off alone…" He felt a crushing pain on his foot, and it took every ounce of willpower to prevent himself from screaming.

"Don't get any ideas!" The two of them stood up with their row, and Vinny gimped on the stage of the auditorium to grab his diploma. He was also handed a sealed box. He looked at Kelsey with a confused look and she simply replied by rolling her eyes. Vinny's row went back down to sit to their seats. In the next row were the tall Thomas and short Alli, the height difference definitely noticeable. Soon enough, all fifty-something graduating students had their diploma and boxes.

"Within those boxes you'll find your Pokedex and four Pokeballs," The Dean announced, apparently awake from his slumber. "May I announce that you students are no longer students, but official Pokemon Trainers!" Applause came roaring in, and the graduates threw their hats into the air.

"Good riddance…" Vinny muttered while scratching the itches he was feeling on his head the entire time. Kelsey nodded towards Vinny, and the two headed out. He couldn't wait to tell Czar.

_Does seem bad that Ronald didn't make it, though…_

-------------------

Stepping back into the car with lunch in hand, Steele muttered a few curses before handing Jones a simple sandwich.

"I don't care what kind of sandwiches they make, waiting an hour just isn't worth it!" Steele muttered.

"You shouldn't talk so loud, you know…" Jones warned quietly.

"I mean, first we get fried on the stupid stakeout, then the target makes us chauffeurs, and then orders us to get the freaking lunch!? I want to know who exactly does he think he is…!" He heard yawning. He looked back to see Ronald sleeping like a baby while lying in the back seat. He gave Jones a confused look.

"Keep quiet…" Ronald moaned. "I'm trying to take a nap…"

"So this is Ronald Frost…" Steele muttered. "If he's really thirteen years old, that would mean he entered CODEF at the age of nine… And at age ten…"

"He became the Vice-Commander… Then disappeared for three years for absolutely no reason at all. Was enrolling in this academy the entire deal?"

"Despite how he looks like when he's awake, he still looks like a little boy when he sleeps…" As a reflex, Ronald grabbed the closest thing he could find, and chucked it right at Steele's face. Thus, a scalding cup of hot coffee broke open precisely on target. After hearing Steele scream in pain, Ronald calmly awoke with a yawn.

"I thought I said I was trying to nap…" He said with a disgruntled tone. He rubbed his bare wrist for a second.

"Is that why you threw a cup of hot coffee at my face!?" Steele yelled out. Ronald scratched his head, trying to recall it.

"Doesn't ring a bell," He answered. "Anyways, what's our current base of operations?"

"Hmm… It looks like there's a great deal of activity going on around in the Braven Region around Central City," Jones said. "But I believe that's just a distraction from another plot,"

"If you ask me, there's a chance something's big about to go down there…" Steele countered. "I think it's at least worth checking out." Ronald nodded, and yawned again.

"How far away is Central City by car?" Ronald finally managed to spill out.

"A couple days, at least," Steele answered, hoping he wasn't suggesting what he thought he was suggesting. "We're not actually going to…"

"I'm afraid of airplanes, I get seasick, and I never get enough sleep on a train," Was all he had to offer. "Oh, I guess I should warn you, my body automatically attacks anybody who talks about me in my sleep. So I'd be quiet when I'm taking my naps." He lied back down, closing his eyes. "Now if I didn't burn your eyes, shut up and drive. If I did, trade with your partner and you can still be quiet." He gave another yawn.

_Why I ought to… _Even so, Steele wiped the coffee from his face with the sleeve of his jacket, and started the car up. It slowly went in motion, driving away.

"Oh, man… You got some of the coffee on this new shirt of mine, Steele!" Jones quietly exclaimed.

"Bastard…" He muttered under his breath.

--------------------

"Sucks that visiting hours are over…" Vinny cried out, climbing up onto the bed. "I guess I'll let Czar get his rest and tell him the good news!" He pulled the lime green blanket over his body, and hid under it.

"I should have brought a change of clothes…" Kelsey muttered from the bottom bunk of the bed beside his. "This just seems… disgusting!"

"Yeah, Trainers who have been sweating out in the dangers of the wild sleeping on used beds, who knows what kind of diseases or rashes you'll get from sleeping on these sheets…" Gary said from the bunk above hers.

"Please…" Kelsey replied. "I already know that they change the sheets every day…"

"Yeah, but since so many of the employees seem to be the uncoordinated Chansey, I really wonder if they're capable of changing the sheets on the top…" Gary then said. "Of course, I already checked mine, but I'm worried about the other people on the top bunks…"

"Like I'd fall for that…" Vinny replied, rolling his eyes. _Wait, they're not serious, are they?_

"Then why can I feel the entire bed shivering like a frightened schoolboy?" Bulbasaur mocked from underneath. "Sheesh, you should really be more open to your feelings!"

"I'm not shivering!" Vinny replied, a little too loud. "Besides, the sanitary conditions back home aren't exactly in the best conditions, either! Quite frankly, I've been enjoying the beds here!"

"Dang…" Gary, Bulbasaur, and Kelsey grumbled in unison.

"You're all a bunch of jerks…"

-------------------------

"Sir Manley, we're already nine minutes late," a young woman warned. Manley Davidson was a well-dressed man, well over six feet in height, and tanned skin. His brown hair was kept short, and the scowl on his face made him look like a thug than a company president. Wearing an ash-gray suit he always enjoyed, he took his steps in large strides.

"Thank you, Ms. Crawfish," He said, making sure his clothes didn't have a speck of dust on them. He always people that wore dirty suits. That and he hated people with cluttered desks, and anything asymmetrical. If he cared enough to see a therapist, he would be diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. Manley was a man obsessed with perfection, and having to see a therapist about anything didn't make him perfect. These were his thoughts, at least.

"It's Crawford, sir," The young woman corrected, probably for the thousandth time. Ms. Crawford was five and half feet tall, had a fairly attractive figure, but covered it in the most professional clothing, large glasses, and wore her long blond hair tied back. She was promoted to be Manley's personal assistant through her business skills and professionalism, and she would be damned if she'd continue on otherwise. The clacking of the shoes against the linoleum flooring was the only thing that could be sensed in this dimly lit hallway. She also made sure to make sure her steps were in perfect rhythm, for Manley couldn't stand inconstant footsteps.

"That's what I said," He replied in a demanding tone, and she simply responded by nodding. They were almost to the single door in this long hallway. Manley wondered what kind of efficiency the builders were thinking of designing this section. It was supposed to be a private room, so perhaps the long walk dissuaded visitors from entering? All of a sudden, he began to feel a tingling sensation, and the hair on his neck began to stand up. He looked over towards his assistant, and saw that loose strands of hair were pointing all the way up. "Hmm… I wonder why he's here… I thought he was promoted already…" He said these words with such disdain; Ms. Crawford had to wonder who it was he was talking about. It was the first time she was ever allowed to come with Manley to this Executive meeting, and Manley never talked about his "other" life on the topside.

"Who is coming, if I may ask?" Ms. Crawford decided to ask anyway. Manley gave her a glare, his eyes slightly wide in anger. He simply pointed behind him.

"Him…" He said, giving off a sigh. Crawford turned around to see a young man no older than twenty years of age. His loose blond hair swayed back and forth with each step, and even from this distance, she could tell that his hair was graying so soon. He wore a puffy silver coat, with baggy white sweatpants. What was most noticeable however, was the black infinity symbol on his right cheek, and the red "v" on his left. In an executive meeting, his attire was hardly appropriate, but the carefree smile on his face seemed to make her think he couldn't care less.

"Hiya!" He said cheerfully, completely ignoring the stares at him, and the mood of the hallway. "How's it hanging, Man?" He gave a little nod and smile at him, continued walking.

"What are you doing here, Shiro?" Manley questioned with slight tremor of anger. The person called Shiro either didn't notice it or ignored it.

"Well, you called a meeting, right?" He replied like Manley said something silly. He looked at him for a second and thought he realized something. "Oh, am I too early? I forgot to set back my clock during daylight savings a week ago, and my scheduling's been a little off…" He twitched around as he admitted this, and Ms. Crawford wanted to tell him that daylight savings was several months ago. He noticed Ms. Crawford, and he smiled. "Oh, is this your assistant? You're pretty!" She took a step back and blushed at his sudden blunt comment.

"Shiro lacks… certain people skills," Manley explained. "So you should simply ignore anything outstanding he has to say," Shiro simply nodded as he explained. Ms. Crawford stepped forward and put out her hand.

"I am Ms. Crawford, Sir Manley's assistant. How do you do?" Was how she replied, trying to be as professional as possible. Gin smiled back, but didn't accept the handshake.

"Nothing personal, but if you touched me, you'd die!" He said this with such a carefree manner she thought he was joking, but Manley's grim expression seemed to confirm this.

"What I meant was what are you doing at an OC meeting?" Manley then boomed, getting the conversation back on track. "Weren't you promoted to the IC last month?" Shiro stared blankly at him for a minute, and then blinked a couple of times.

"That's right!" He said, as if it was a revelation. "Well… I feel sort of awkward!" His face turned red for a second, and then he simply laughed it off. "Well, I don't suppose I could sit in and observe, anyway? For old time's sake, pal?"

"We were never 'pals'…" Manley muttered under his breath. "I don't see why not. This is something the IC should be aware of in the least." Manley and Ms. Crawford continued walking down the hallway, and Shiro chuckled to himself. "May I ask what's so funny?"

"If it's is as big as you say it is…" Shiro started with a smirk. "Things may just get a little bit exciting around here!"

----------------------

**Vinny**: GYAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

**Bulbasaur**: What's the big frickin' deal?

**Vinny**: It's… It's… too horrible to describe!

**Kelsey**: What, you wake up a rash or something…

**???**: …Wahwah?

**Bulbasaur**: …!!!!

**Vinny**: What did it say…?

**Bulbasaur**: It said… It said…

**Gary**: You're taking too long! Next time on Generation V: **Farewell, Kanto… Team EVE Takes Flight!** Get ready for the Arrival Saga! Miss it at your own risk!

**Vinny**: You're gonna become a main character, aren't you?

**Author's Notes**: Just apologizing to everyone, sorry this took so long! I sort of went out of town for a couple weeks, didn't know how to finish up the last two pages, and ended up adding another five to it… Anyways, that's all for the Academy Saga. Next saga will be over twice as long as the this one, so get ready! Besides, I've got a few things to tell you.

I'll give a cookie to the person who can guess which pair the two detectives are based off of. These guys are meant to be there for pure comedy relief reasons, but they'll have their importance later. Whether you liked them or not, expect to see them more, however infrequent their appearances are. For those under the belief that everyone went on their journey in this chapter, I apologize for the misconception. It was truly my plan, but the pages filled up and this is how it went. Anyways, whether the next chapter's a special or not is up to me. I'm starting School again soon, so… so I'll have very little time to work on this story. Plus I want to write another idea for a story of mine, and I want to work on that little by little, too. I get inspired too often…

Anyways, people's levels…

Vinny's Bulbasaur – Level 13 (Level Up!)

Vinny's Heracross – Level 15

Kelsey's Cyndaquil – Lvl 12

Kelsey's Wurmple – Lvl 5

Derek's Mudkip – Lvl 12

Derek's Treecko – Lvl 9

Alli's Shinx – Lvl 12

Alli's Starly – Lvl 3

Thomas's Growlithe – Lvl 12+

Gary's Pikachu – Lvl 10

Chad's Eevee – Lvl… Higher than everyone else is… Just expect that much.

Seeya next chapter!


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